Childhood Maltreatment Experiences in Mothers’ and Fathers’ Parental Burnout: The Mediating Role of Epistemic Stances

The present study investigated the impact of childhood maltreatment experiences on parental burnout, while also examining the mediating roles of epistemic trust, mistrust, and credulity, and exploring potential differences between mothers and fathers. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from a community sample of 948 cisgender heterosexual parents residing in Italy (Mage = 41.95, SD = 7.51; 78.90% mothers), each with at least one biological child aged 0 to 18 years (Mage = 9.38, SD = 5.37), through online self-report questionnaires. Structural equation modeling revealed that parents with higher levels of childhood maltreatment reported greater levels of parental burnout, with emotional abuse emerging as the strongest indicator of maltreatment experiences. Across the entire sample, heightened maltreatment experiences were associated with reduced epistemic trust and increased epistemic mistrust, both of which significantly contributed to more severe parental burnout. Importantly, while epistemic mistrust served as a significant mediator for both mothers and fathers, epistemic credulity emerged as a significant mediator exclusively for mothers. These findings highlight the intricate pathways through which childhood maltreatment experiences can exacerbate parental burnout. From a clinical perspective, the results underscore the need to address distortions in epistemic trust to mitigate parental burnout among parents with histories of childhood maltreatment. Moreover, these findings underscore the need for awareness campaigns designed to reduce parents’ hesitation to seek assistance—potentially rooted in their own experiences of childhood maltreatment and epistemic stances—and to enhance public understanding of parental burnout.