🚀 go-pugleaf

From Monday 2 to Friday 6 December 1996, RMIT is celebrating its 
R&D excellence with a program of events and lectures entitled:

Innovation @ work (http://www.rmit.edu.au/innovation.10.html)

Dr Kay Avant will present a postdoctoral lecture entitled: 
'Parenting stress'.

Speaker:  Dr Kay Avant 
Date:  Tuesday 3 December 1996
Time:  10.30 - 11.00 am
Location:  RMIT Bundoora campus, Building 212, Level 3, Room 19

Abstract:

The phenomenon of parenting is a persistent theme in child 
development literature.  Researchers from across disciplines have 
long shared an interest in the influence of parenting on child 
outcomes.  While researchers have often focussed on the social and 
behavioural consequences of being parented, the study of parenting 
itself has been relatively neglected (Gutman, 1975; Park 1978).  
Parenting demands significant changes in both lifestyle and roles.  
For many parents, these demands result in stress.

Stress may be manifested in both psychological and biological ways.  
Stressors may directly impact the human system through physiologic 
arousal or may indirectly impact the system due to the individual's 
interpretation of the stressor event which then triggers the 
physiologic responses.  Thus, stressors, real or perceived, which arise 
from the multiple competing demands of daily life, may exceed the 
parent's capacity to cope (Lazarus & Cohen, 1977).  If the stress 
exceeds parents' abilities to cope, both psychological and physiologic 
arousal may occur which, if not managed appropriately, may result in 
diminished well-being or actual illness.

In most American households, both parents work.  The last three 
decades have seen a rapid rise in the number of duel-earner couples 
in the United States.  The United States Department of Labor 
estimates that nearly 70% of mothers with children under age 18 are 
working.  Yet little is known about the stress of working and 
parenting on the health of working parents (Gross, 1989).  This 
seminar will report on several studies concerning parenting and 
stress and the effects of this stress on health promoting lifestyle and 
parent's well being.