Effects of Mindful Breathing on Parents’ Mindfulness, Stress, and Happiness: A Multiple-baseline Pilot Study
Journal of Child and Family Studies September 18, 2025 Caleb D. Farley, Tyler L. Renshaw, Paul Caldarella
Practicing a daily mindful breathing exercise for 14 days helped parents of children with behavior problems become more aware and less stressed, but did not clearly improve their ability to respond with acceptance. In a small pilot study, four highly stressed parents with a child showing clinical behavior problems completed a baseline phase and then listened to an audio-recorded mindful breathing exercise twice daily for two weeks. Daily ratings showed gradual improvements in awareness, stress, and happiness linked to the practice, but acceptance did not show a similar functional relationship. The authors suggest that consistent, simple mindfulness exercises can benefit some aspects of mindfulness and reduce stress, while changes in acceptance may require more targeted practice.