The Parenting Research Centre is calling for parents to participate in a nationwide survey into the effects of fatigue on family life, with the intention of studying the possible links between fatigue and depression in parents of young children.

How to participate

Parents of children from birth to six years wishing to participate in the parental fatigue survey can do so online at the Parenting Research Centre website, or by requesting a printed copy by emailing parentwellbeing@parentingrc.org.au or phoning (03) 8660 3500.

Aim of survey

The purpose of the survey is to develop a simple measure of fatigue that could be used for future research, as well as find ways to prevent, identify and treat parental stress and fatigue.

The Director of Research and Practice at the Parenting Research Centre, Jan Matthews, stated:

'We know that when parents are coping with fatigue it can have an impact on their ability to raise children.

'This survey of parent wellbeing will help us determine the level of fatigue that families are coping with on a daily basis, as well as to identify any potential impact on parenting.'

'Previous international research has shown that fatigue can get in the way of parent-child and partner relationships, which has implications for a child's emotional, physical and cognitive development, as well as for people's physical and emotional health.

'Fatigue may even be a trigger in post-natal depression so there is a major need for resources to help parents address their fatigue.'

Further information

Visit the 'Parent Wellbeing' section of the Parenting Research Centre website.

Read the 'New research into parent fatigue' media release.

Further reading

View these related resources on the Early Childhood Australia website:

• Stress in early childhood: Helping children and their carers
• Every Child - Trauma, stress and emotional issues - vol 12 no 4, 2006
• Fathering from the fast lane: Practical ideas for busy dads

Did you like this article? Share it with others online!  - What does this mean?               You can subscribe to ECA's early childhood news feed here Learn more about RSS news feeds If you liked this article, you can 'social bookmark' it with others who might be searching for good content on early childhood. This means you can share your favourite webpages with others, or just keep an online list of your bookmarks so you can access them on any computer. Read more about social bookmarks More about digg>> More about del.icio.us>> More about google>>    More about yahoo>> More about stumbleupon>> More about reddit>> Close this window