The invisible work of motherhood: Emotional load and occupational balance in maternal stress and well-being
Andreja Bartolac, Karla JurešaBackground
Maternal load refers to the often invisible cognitive, organizational, and emotional demands of motherhood. Although increasingly recognized in recent literature, its relationship with occupational balance and well-being remains insufficiently explored.
Objective
This study examined levels of organizational, cognitive, and emotional load among mothers and their associations with perceived stress, occupational balance, and life satisfaction.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 300 mothers in Croatia using an online questionnaire. Measures included study-specific maternal load scales, the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and two single-item measures of life satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical regression analyses.
Results
Maternal load dimensions were moderately to highly expressed and strongly interrelated. Higher load was associated with higher perceived stress (r = .57–.58) and lower occupational balance (r = –.46 to –.55). Occupational balance was positively associated with life satisfaction and negatively associated with perceived stress. Regression analyses showed that emotional load (β = .25) and lower occupational balance (β = –.43) were the strongest predictors of higher perceived stress (R 2 = .56), while higher perceived stress (β = –.50) and organizational load (β = –.34) were the strongest predictors of lower occupational balance (R 2 = .48). Demographic variables contributed minimally.
Conclusions
Maternal load represents an integrated aspect of mothers’ everyday lives, with emotional load closely associated with stress. Occupational balance emerged as an important factor linked to well-being, highlighting the need to address both emotional and everyday demands in supporting maternal well-being.