Mindful Parenting Research Articles

The protective role of mindful parenting against child maltreatment and aggressive behavior: an exploratory study among Chinese parent-adolescent dyads

BackgroundIt is well-established that child maltreatment practiced by parents is associated with adolescent aggression. Emerging evidence has suggested that higher levels of mindful parenting are associated with fewer negative parenting practices. However, the relationships among mindful parenting, child maltreatment, and adolescent aggression remain unclear.AimTo examine the association between mindful parenting, child maltreatment, and adolescent aggressive behavior among Chinese parent-adolescent dyads.MethodsSurvey data from 554 Chinese parent-adolescent dyads were used for the analysis. Parents reported mindful parenting, and adolescents reported three forms of child maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, psychological aggression, and neglect) by their parents and aggressive behavior. Path models were used to analyze whether higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with decreased likelihood of parent-to-adolescent maltreatment that were further related to lower levels of adolescent aggression.ResultsMindful parenting and its two factors (i.e., interaction with full attention and compassion and acceptance) were associated with lower likelihood of physical abuse and psychological aggression, which were related to decreased levels of adolescent aggressive behavior. Stratified analyses by parent gender showed that the path from interaction with full attention to adolescent aggression through psychological aggression was also significant or marginally significant in both mother-adolescent and father-adolescent dyads. Stratified analyses by adolescent gender demonstrated that the paths from interaction with full attention to physical abuse and psychological aggression were significant, which were also significantly correlated with adolescent aggression among male adolescents, whereas the mindful parenting-child maltreatment-adolescent aggression paths were not significant among female adolescents.ConclusionsThe findings contributed to the existing literature by assessing mindful parenting as a multifaceted construct and exploring the gender differences in the relationships. Gender-tailored interventions to improve mindful parenting, specifically focusing on the parents’ ability of interacting with adolescents providing full attention, compassion, and acceptance may work towards preventing child maltreatment and promoting adolescent behavioral health.

EARLY CHILDHOOD PARENTING: THE ROLE OF PARENTAL MINDFULNESS AND COPARENTING COMPETENCE IN PARENTAL WELL-BEING

Parents' well-being are significant things. Well-being is not only counted for parents’ physical, emotional, and mental conditions as an individual, it also has enormous influences on various aspects of children's development. Parents tend to face challenges, difficulties, and pressures during parenting, especially when caring for children in early childhood. This study aims to determine the role of parental mindfulness and coparenting competence in predicting parental well-being. Three hundred and thirty-one parents of children in early childhood participated in this study. The researchers used the convenience sampling method. Parents completed the Parental Well-Being Scale, Bangor Mindful Parenting Scale, and Coparenting Competence Scale. The result of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that parental mindfulness and coparenting competence have significant roles in predicting parental well-being. The coefficient of determination showed that parental mindfulness and coparenting competence simultaneously explained 15.7% of the parental well-being variance. There are no significant differences in parental well-being between fathers and mothers. This finding indicates the importance of parenting competence in order to improve parental well-being.

Differential Contributions of Parental Warmth and Mindfulness to Child Executive Function and Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Management.

Positive parenting (e.g., parental warmth, mindful parenting) has been posited to promote effective pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management. This promotive effect may partly be conferred by fostering child self-regulatory development, such as executive function (EF). However, no research has examined whether better child EF serves as a mechanism underlying associations between positive parenting and child blood glucose levels (HbA1c). Moreover, it is unclear whether mindful parenting offers a unique benefit beyond that of parental warmth-a key pillar of effective parental involvement in T1DM management. Primary caregivers of children with T1DM (N = 101; Mage = 12.02) reported on parenting behaviors and child EF. Children's medical information was obtained through chart review. Path analysis was used to examine direct and indirect relations in the cross-sectional data. The path analysis indicated that only parental warmth, not mindful parenting, was significantly associated with lower HbA1c. Both parental warmth and mindful parenting were significantly related to better child EF, but child EF did not mediate the associations between parenting and HbA1c. Parental warmth may constitute a key parenting behavior promoting effective pediatric T1DM management. Enhancing parental warmth may be an important target of interventions aiming to improve HbA1c. Although child EF was unrelated to HbA1c in this sample, given positive associations between parental warmth and mindfulness and child EF, longitudinal research is warranted to examine whether these positive parenting behaviors may confer long-term benefits for T1DM self-management through improved EF.

Strategies for Mindful Parenting During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Context: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected people’s lives in all aspects. One of the most critical yet neglected features is parenting and the experience of mindful parenting for kids and their parents.
 Objectives: This study systematically reviewed the strategies for mindful parenting during the COVID-19 outbreak.
 Methods: In this systematic review, all related databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and SID (Persian), were used to explore and search for the most relevant articles that had addressed mindfulness in parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. A content analysis approach was applied to categorize the data. Codes were specified to every helpful strategy, and the codes were put in different themes and subthemes subjectively using a framework thematic analysis.
 Results: Three studies were included in our review. The two dimensions of mindfulness were considered as two subgroups for strategies identified to improve mindfulness in parenting in the final articles: (1) being in the moment, which means concentrating on the living moment and not worrying, thinking, or ruminating about other problems; and (2) non-judgmental approach, which means avoiding cognitive biases, such as pre-judgment. All suggested strategies could be classified into the mentioned categories.
 Conclusions: Strategies such as mindfulness in parenting are becoming more necessary for enhancing the quality of life for kids and their parents. Consequently, there is a need for policymakers and planners to facilitate parenting through social support systems and adjusting to the new situation, which will be on the agenda for a while.

I Want More! The Role of Child, Family and Maternal Characteristics on Child Dispositional Greed and Sharing Behavior

Greed is often regarded as a negative trait that impedes prosocial behavior in adults. Yet, relatively little is known about the development of greed and its effects on children. We examine the effect of dispositional greed on sharing behavior in 4-to-6-year-olds. In addition, we identified potential factors associated with child greed, including child, family, and maternal characteristics. This study with 63 mother–child dyads (Agechild = 5.11, SD = 0.88, 50.8% female) revealed that child greed was associated with less prosocial behavior in an observational sharing task. More specifically, children who were reported as greedier by their mothers shared less than less greedy children. Having fewer siblings, less mindful maternal parenting style, and high maternal trait anxiety was associated with higher dispositional greed in children. Additionally, their mother rated greedier children as having higher negative affectivity. These findings suggest that child greed is an important developmental trait that warrants further investigation.Highlights• 63 mother–child dyads revealed that child greed was associated with less pro-social behavior in an observational sharing task• Child greed was associated with higher rates of child negative affectivity.• Having fewer siblings, less mindful parenting style, high maternal trait anxiety predicted dispositional greed in 4-to-6-year-old children

Interparental conflict and mindful parenting practices: Transactional effects between mothers and fathers

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined the transactional relations between mothers' and fathers' destructive interparental conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices.BackgroundAccording to family systems theory and spillover hypothesis, interparental conflict sets the stage for parents' future levels of conflict as well as parenting difficulties. However, research on the link between conflict and mindful parenting practices remains scarce. The present study aims to investigate the longitudinal relations between mothers' and fathers' interparental conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices.MethodParticipants were 386 families involving mothers and fathers of adolescent children at 12–17 years old. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaire reports of destructive interparental conflict and mindful parenting at two time points spanning 12 months apart. A structural equation model was conducted to examine the relations between conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices.ResultsFindings indicated that mothers' and fathers' destructive conflict predicted their own and their spouses' subsequent destructive conflict, as well as mindful parenting practices. Mothers' and fathers' mindful parenting predicted their own mindful parenting longitudinally, but did not predict the other variables.ConclusionSupporting the spillover hypothesis, this study revealed the longitudinal effect of interparental conflict on mindful parenting, regardless of parent gender. Findings suggested dyadic effects between mothers and fathers, in that destructive conflict tactics were associated with future conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices employed by themselves and their spouses.

Do Improvements in Maternal Mental Health Predict Improvements in Parenting? Mechanisms of the Mindful with Your Baby Training.

Postpartum mental health symptoms are associated with parenting difficulties, which have negative consequences for child development. Interventions for young mothers should target their mental health problems and parenting difficulties. Mindful with Your Baby (MwyB) is an intervention for parents, with a baby, who experience (mental) health problems and/or stress or insecurity in parenting. This study seeks to replicate previous effects of MwyB regarding mindfulness, mindful parenting, maternal (mental) health (psychological distress, depressive mood, physical health complaints) and parenting outcomes (parenting stress, parental self-efficacy, bonding), and gain insight into the working mechanisms of the training. Mothers with babies aged 1–18 months (n = 61) completed questionnaires at waitlist, pretest, posttest, and 8-week follow-up. No significant differences were seen between the waitlist and pretest. Significant improvements in all outcomes were shown in the posttest (except for physical health complaints) and follow-up, compared to the pretest. Improvements in depressive symptoms and physical health complaints were dependent on improvements in mindfulness. Improvements in parental self-efficacy were dependent on improvements in mindful parenting. Improvements in some (mental) health and parenting outcomes seemed to be bidirectional. The results suggest that both mindfulness and mindful parenting are important for mothers who experience psychological distress and/or stress or insecurity in parenting their babies.

Mindfulness, Parental Attributions, and Parenting: the Moderating Role of Child Mental Health.

ObjectivesResearch interest in mindfulness, the capacity for present-oriented, nonjudgmental attention and awareness, and its relation to parenting has been growing in recent years. However, factors facilitating the association between mindfulness and parenting are not yet well understood. In the present study, we examined whether parents’ biased causal thinking about children’s misbehaviors, i.e., parental attributions, may mediate the link between parents’ dispositional mindfulness and parenting. Given that parents of children with clinically elevated mental health difficulties tend to report more biased parental attributions, we further examined whether the proposed mediation may differ across parents of children with and without clinical diagnoses or referrals for mental health difficulties.MethodsParents (59.8% mothers) of 8- to 12-year-old children with (n = 157) and without (n = 99) clinical diagnoses or referrals for mental health difficulties participated in online surveys assessing their mindfulness, parental attributions, and negative parenting behaviors.ResultsMore mindful parents reported less negative parenting, with the link significantly mediated by less biased parent-directed attributions, but not child-directed attributions. The mediating effect via parent-directed attributions was significantly moderated by the child’s clinical status: the effect was retained only for parents of children with clinical diagnoses or referrals for mental health difficulties. No significant moderation effect emerged for child-directed attributions.ConclusionsThe results provide initial support for the links among parents’ mindfulness, parental attributions, and parenting. The present findings suggest that parental mindfulness may be important for less biased parental attributions, with implications for parenting behaviors at least in the context of children’s mental health disorders.

Longitudinal impact of public stigma and courtesy stigma on parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: The moderating role of trait mindfulness

BackgroundAlthough the public and courtesy stigma of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are prevalent, there are very few studies examining their adverse psychological effects on parents of children with ASD or exploring plausible factors that can alleviate these adverse effects. The present study addressed these literature gaps by investigating the longitudinal linkages of public and courtesy stigma to detrimental cognitive (i.e., self-stigma content and process) and affective (i.e., perceived stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety) consequences for parents of children with ASD and testing if these linkages would be moderated by trait mindfulness. MethodsAt two time points separated by 12 months, 372 Hong Kong parents of children with ASD provided questionnaire data on public and courtesy stigma, mindfulness, self-stigma content and process, perceived stress, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. ResultsHierarchical regressions showed that public and courtesy stigma interacted significantly with mindfulness at baseline in predicting self-stigma content and process, perceived stress, and symptoms of depression and anxiety at follow-up. Moreover, simple slope analyses showed that the linkages of public and courtesy stigma to the five detrimental psychological consequences were weaker in parents with high mindfulness than in those with low mindfulness. ConclusionsOur findings highlight the longitudinal linkages of public and courtesy stigma to detrimental cognitive and affective consequences for parents of children with ASD, and reveal the plausible protective effects of mindfulness against such linkages. These findings suggest the potential utility of increasing mindfulness in parents of children with ASD in coping with community stigma and improving mental health.

The relationship between mothers’ attachment style, mindful parenting, and perception of the child

IntroductionMaternal attachment style plays a major role in the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. Previous studies indicated that a secure attachment style is associated with higher levels of mindfulness and a higher quality of the parent-child relationship.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the mothers’ attachment style, mindful parenting, and perception of the child.MethodsData was collected from 144 non-clinical mothers, who have a child below the age of 3 years. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires including the following scales: a demographic questionnaire, Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IMP), and the Mothers’ Object Relations Scale (MORS-SF). Mediation analyses with Mothers’ Object Relations Scale warmth and invasion subscales as dependent variables, mother’s attachment style as an independent variable and, mindful parenting as a mediator were conducted.ResultsIn mediation analysis, the direct effects of the mothers’ attachment style on the perception of the child were not significant. However, indirect effects through mindful parenting were significant; higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with higher levels of MORS-SF warmth and lower levels of MORS-SF invasion.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that attachment styles are related to the perception of the child through mindful parenting. Mindfulness-based parenting training might be useful in case of attachment-related problems to improve the parent-child relationship.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Emotional Regulation Ability in Early Childhood: Role of Coparenting and Mindful Parenting

Most of the demands and tasks necessary during the development of early childhood center around children’s emotional regulation ability. At this time, parents have an important role in socializing the emotional development to children during parenting practices. This study aimed to determine the role of mindful parenting and coparenting competence simultaneously towards emotional regulation ability in early childhood. 370 parents of children in early childhood participated in this study (173 fathers and 197 mothers) chosen using a purposive sampling method. Parents completed the emotional regulation skill questionnaire, Bangor mindful parenting scale, and coparenting competence scale. The results of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that mindful parenting and coparenting competence have a significant role in predicting children’s emotional regulation competence simultaneously (R2 = 0.121, F (2.369) = 23.01, p < .001). This indicates that improving children’s emotional regulation ability in early childhood is related to the children’s internal factors and the ability of parents to carry out parenting practices and form a good family emotional climate.

Parenting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An RCT of an online course with families of children with CP

AimTo test an online course Parenting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (PACT) in an RCT with families of children with cerebral palsy (CP), predicting improvements in emotional availability and parent and child adjustment. Method67 families of children (2–10 years) with CP participated. Families were randomly assigned to waitlist control or PACT. Assessments at baseline, post-intervention and at six-month follow up (durability of intervention effects) focussed on emotional availability, adjustment and quality of life. Analysis consisted of repeated measure linear regression models. ResultsAt postintervention (T2), an intervention effect was demonstrated for two aspects of observed emotional availability: parental non-intrusiveness MD = 0.68 (−0.56 to 1.92), p = 0.050 and child involvement, MD = 0.91 (−0.36 to 2.18), p = 0.011. An intervention effect was also found for the parent-reported emotional availability in terms of child involvement. Further intervention effects were found in parent-report measures of child quality of life (social wellbeing and acceptance, participation and physical health), parental mindfulness, parental acceptance, support, social connection, and meaning. No effects were found on parent or child adjustment. Analyses focussed on durability of intervention effect, collapsed across groups, indicated that effects persisted at 6 month follow up (T4). InterpretationPACT demonstrated an intervention effect for two aspects of emotional availability−parental non-intrusiveness and child involvement−as well as parental mindfulness and child quality of life. Parents reported increased comfort with the CP diagnosis, higher likelihood to seek support, higher likelihood to stay connected to others and greater meaningful living. PACT is an effective online/telehealth parenting support intervention for parents of children with CP.

The determinants of mindful parenting in adolescence: a scoping review

ABSTRACT The body of evidence on mindful parenting has grown significantly over time, and this scoping review aims to examine the present literature that focuses on the determinants of mindful parenting among parents of adolescents. Seven databases were searched, as well as the reference lists of included studies. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were mapped using the scoping review approach. The existing studies show that there are three determinants of mindful parenting, which are parent characteristics, adolescent characteristics, and contextual characteristics. This scoping review underlines the need for more specifically tailored interventions for parents and adolescents that focuses on their modalities and interaction. Implications for developing countries are also discussed in this study.

A cohort study examining the association between children's symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity, internalizing symptoms, and mindful parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ObjectivesIncreased mental health difficulties have been reported in Canadian children as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and emerging research suggests that children with high levels of symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity have been disproportionately impacted. Accordingly, the pandemic has impacted families as well. The purpose of this study was the following: (1) to examine whether children’s symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity at the beginning of the 2020 and 2021 academic year were associated with mindful parenting at the end of the academic year and (2) to examine whether children’s depressive and anxiety symptoms at the end of the year moderated this relationship.MethodsParents of 114 young children in a large Canadian city participated in this study in the Winter of 2020 and the Spring of 2021. Parents completed several self-report scales used to measure children’s mental health symptomatology and mindfulness in parenting.ResultsChildren’s symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were significantly, negatively associated with mindful parenting across the pandemic year, and children’s depressive symptoms moderated this relationship. Specifically, when children’s depressive symptoms were low or average it was found that higher symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were associated with lower levels of mindful parenting. However, when children’s depressive symptoms were high their symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were not predictive of mindful parenting.ConclusionsChildren’s mental health, namely symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity and depression, are related to challenges in mindful parenting during COVID-19. These results may inform practitioners about which families require additional support during the pandemic.

Mindful parenting intervention for parents of children with skin conditions: a single group experimental cases series.

Parents of children with eczema or psoriasis experience high levels of parenting stress, which can negatively impact their child's mental and physical health. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of a mindful parenting intervention for parents of children with eczema or psoriasis. Seven parents of children (4-12 years old) with eczema or psoriasis took part in an 8-week mindful parenting group intervention. A single-case experimental design was adopted, whereby parents completed daily idiographic measures of parenting stress related to their child's skin condition. Parents also completed standardised questionnaires measuring their parenting stress, depression, anxiety and quality of life, and children completed a quality of life measure, at four time points: baseline, pre-intervention, post-intervention and 6-week follow-up. Parents provided qualitative feedback after the intervention. All parents completed the intervention and showed improvements in idiographic measures of parenting stress from baseline to follow-up. Improvements in parenting stress were larger at follow-up than post-intervention, suggesting the benefits of intervention continue beyond the intervention. Six of seven parent-child dyads showed improvement in at least one of the wellbeing measures, from pre-intervention to post-intervention or follow-up. Feasibility was demonstrated through good participant retention, adherence to home practice, and treatment fidelity. Acceptability was demonstrated through positive parent evaluations of the intervention. Mindful parenting can be an effective, feasible and acceptable intervention for parents of children with eczema or psoriasis. Future studies should attempt to replicate the findings through randomised controlled trials.

Mindful Parents, Mindful Children? Exploring the Role of Mindful Parenting

SYNOPSIS Objective. Mindfulness in parents is associated with a number of positive family characteristics, including positive parenting behaviors, fewer externalizing or internalizing difficulties in children, and positive parent-child relationships. However, little is known about whether parents’ and children’s mindfulness may be linked, or whether mindful parenting may indirectly support this link. The present cross-sectional study sought to explore these associations in mothers and fathers and their preadolescent children. Design. One hundred and twelve triads consisting of mothers, fathers, and their 9- to 12-year-old children participated. Mothers and fathers rated their mindfulness and mindful parenting, and children rated their mindfulness. Results. Mothers’ mindfulness was indirectly associated with children’s mindfulness through mothers’ mindful parenting. This indirect effect was not significant for fathers, although one facet of mindfulness – nonreactivity to thoughts and feelings – led to a significant indirect association. Conclusions. Mindful parents report more mindful parenting behaviors, which in turn may relate to higher child mindfulness. Implications for the socialization of mindfulness in the family are discussed.

Mindful with your baby for mothers of infants with (parental) stress in a non-clinical setting: a wait-list controlled pilot trial

BackgroundBecause of the far-reaching negative consequences of high levels of (parental) stress for the mother, infant, the mother-infant relationship, and family functioning, psychological support for young mothers is important. Mindful with Your Baby is a mindfulness-based intervention, originally developed and evaluated in a clinical population of mothers with mental health issues and/or babies with regulation problems. The current pilot examines whether Mindful with Your Baby for mothers with symptoms of (parental) stress offered in a non-clinical setting is also effective and acceptable.MethodsIn this pilot waitlist-controlled trial, 17 mothers with infants (2–15 months) admitted themselves for a Mindful with Your Baby training in a non-clinical setting because of (parental) stress. Mindful with Your Baby was offered in groups of three to six mother-infant dyads and consisted of eight weekly 2-h sessions. Participants completed questionnaires on symptoms of parental stress, general stress, depression, anxiety, mindfulness and self-compassion at 8-week waitlist, pretest, posttest and 8-week follow-up.ResultsThere were no training drop-outs, attendance rate was 92.5%, and the training was evaluated positively: all mothers (100%) felt they got something of lasting importance as a result of taking the training, and reported becoming more conscious as a parent, and 93% reported changing their lifestyle or parenting as a result of the training. Multilevel analyses showed no significant changes between waitlist and pretest. At posttest, a significant improvement occurred in all outcome measures compared to pretest, of moderate to large effect sizes. At follow-up, a significant improvement was seen compared to pretest in all outcomes except anxiety compared to pretest, of small to moderate effect sizes.ConclusionsMindful with Your Baby appears an acceptable and effective intervention for mothers with a baby who experience (parental) stress but who have not been referred to specialized mental health care. A low threshold access to Mindful with Your Baby in non-clinical settings could provide a timely and positive interference in (parental) stress.

The Mindful Parenting of Kyai in Pesantren

Parenting is an important topic for discussion because it plays a key role in children's education. A child's inherent character reflects how well their education has been carried out, and this includes both teachers and parents. Pesantren caregivers, known as Kyai, are highly regarded for their work in fostering good character in their charges. However, it has also been able to maintain the pesantren's leadership succession while still adhering to the core values and beliefs that are the foundation of the pesantren. The success of the Kyai family can be seen in their children, who have taken on leadership roles in their communities and in Islamic boarding schools. As a result, this research aims to shed light on the prophetic values-based mindful parenting practices of Kyai and his wife. A qualitative case study methodology is employed in this study. A series of methods were used to gather data, including direct observations and interviews. The Miles and Huberman data analysis technique was used to reduce, display, and verify the data collected during the data collection process. The pre-conception and post-conception periods of the mindful parenting process based on prophetic values are examined in this research. Parents who practice prophetic values in the pre-conception period are guided in their choices for a partner, pray for godly children, and provide positive stimulation and nourishment with halal-thoyyib food intake. Parenting is also carried out in the post-conception period through Sharia rituals, such as giving attention and affection, exemplifying and indoctrinating, and asserting one's authority.

Self-compassion and mindful parenting among postpartum mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of depressive and anxious symptoms.

Self-compassion is an important psychological skill that may facilitate the adoption of a mindful way of parenting, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, the association between these constructs may be explained by several variables, such as maternal psychopathological symptoms, with a well-established interference in parenting. This study aimed to compare mothers who experienced and mothers who did not experience a negative emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-compassion, mindful parenting, postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS) and postpartum anxious symptoms (PPAS). We also explored whether mothers’ self-compassion was associated with mindful parenting and whether this relationship may be mediated by PPDS and PPAS. A sample of 977 Portuguese mothers of infants aged between zero and six months completed an online survey between December 2020 and January 2021, a period of major pandemic-related restrictions. The survey included several self-report questionnaires that assessed sociodemographic, clinical, and COVID-19 information, self-compassion, mindful parenting, PPDS and PPAS. Mothers who reported having felt that the pandemic had a negative emotional impact during their postpartum period (79.5%) presented lower levels of self-compassion and mindful parenting, and higher levels of PPDS and PPAS. Regarding the mediation model, higher levels of self-compassion were related to higher levels of mindful parenting, and this association was mediated by lower levels of PPAS. These results highlight the relevance of mothers’ self-compassion for helping them feel less anxious and to adopt a mindful way of parenting in the postpartum period, particularly during the pandemic. Compassion-based interventions may be particularly important in reducing PPAS and promoting mindful parenting and should be available to postpartum mothers, especially during, but also beyond the pandemic.

Mindfulness, parenting behavior, and children's mental health: An investigation among diverse, low-income mothers of preschool aged children

Mindfulness is a multifaceted construct, encompassing the ability to observe, describe, accept without judgment, and act with awareness, which has been shown to have a meaningful impact on parenting. The present study evaluated the relationship between discrete facets of mindfulness, mothers' parenting behaviors, and their children's mental health via a mediation model linking parental mindfulness to their children's psychological functioning through adaptive parenting behaviors. Low-income, racially and ethnically diverse mothers (N = 137) of preschool aged children (3-6 years-old) were recruited from programs for diverse, low-income families around an urban northeastern USA area. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing mindfulness, parenting behaviors, and their children's psychological functioning. Results revealed that punitive parenting mediated the relationship between lower parental mindfulness and greater child externalizing problems. Parenting behaviors were not found to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and internalizing symptoms. Regarding facets of mindfulness, mothers' ability to describe was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms, their capacity to observe was associated with less inconsistent parenting behaviors, and their tendency to act with awareness was associated with less punitive parenting. Mothers' ability to accept without judgment was the most consistent predictor of child functioning and parenting behavior, as lower acceptance among mothers was found to significantly predict more inconsistent and punitive parenting behaviors, as well as more child externalizing and internalizing symptoms. These results support the importance of mindfulness in parenting behaviors and child psychosocial functioning in a diverse sample of low-income mothers, and highlight acceptance without judgment as a particularly meaningful target for future mindfulness-based parenting interventions.