Parenting guilt among parents of toddlers: A phenomenological study

The experience of guilt among parents is a common phenomenon, and it has been widely discussed in the context of family-interfering-with-work or work-interfering-with-family conflict. The present study aimed at understanding the phenomenon of parenting guilt and the factors leading to that in parents of toddlers living in nuclear families in India.

The online study was conducted from 2021 to 2022, on parents from India, using purposive sampling. Participants were selected using a screening tool to preliminary assess parenting guilt which was constructed in-house through an extensive literature review and was subjected to content validation by experts. Individuals with a score of 3 or more "yes" responses were recruited, and in-depth interviews were conducted until saturation was achieved. Data were collected from 12 participants with the help of a semi-structured interview guide which were audio-recorded. Data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological approach.

The interpretative phenomenological analysis suggested that parenting guilt stemmed due to the inability of the parents to fulfil their role expectancies as parents. This is due to various internal factors, like inability to fulfil one's role expectancies as a parent, insatiable parenting expectations, counterfactual thinking, responsibility for unforeseen circumstances, and guilt leading to more guilt. The external factors include lack of time, opinions of others, quality of other relationships at home, and lack of adequate guidance.

The study provides insight into parenting guilt within an Indian context and highlights the importance of proper guidance for parents. These findings can inform the development of interventions aimed at increasing parents' awareness of their parenting practices.