Mindfulness for Stress Reduction in Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review
Catarina Lopes, José Tiago Costa-Pereira, Isaura Tavares
Children June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/children13070874 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19 |
| Population | Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Randomized controlled trial Psychological intervention Meta-analysis Population Systematic review Intervention counseling Clinical psychology Cochrane library Mindfulness-based stress reduction Medline |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions reduced stress in parents of children with ADHD in most studies, though results varied. |
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) present high levels of stress. This population may benefit from Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) to reduce their stress. This systematic review assesses current literature about the efficacy of MBI for managing stress and stress-related outcomes among those parents.
Methods: Studies published up to September 2025 were systematically searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus, and complemented with citation tracking. Both randomized and non-randomized studies were included, provided they quantitatively evaluated parenting stress. Bias assessment was performed using Cochrane ROB-2 and ROBINS-I tools and GRADE analysis was performed. A qualitative synthesis is presented due to the substantial heterogeneity among studies.
Results: Nineteen studies including nine Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and ten non-RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies used an MBI for parents only, ten studies had a parallel intervention for the child/adolescent, and one study used an MBI for parents and teachers. Overall, the studies showed statistically significant stress reduction, either immediately after the end of the MBI (five RCTs and three non-RCTs) and mostly maintained at follow-up or presenting a delayed therapeutic effect which was only evident at the follow-up analysis (one RCT and four non-RCTs). However, some studies reported only mixed findings or no significant differences (three RCTs and two non-RCTs), and one non-RCT reported worsening of stress. Stress-related outcomes varied among different studies.
Conclusions: MBI may have a significant role in reducing the stress of parents of children with ADHD and may improve stress-related outcomes, such as quality of life, psychological well-being, and parenting over-reactivity. Further studies with longer follow-up periods and lower risk of bias are necessary to clarify possible effects of MBI in stress reduction in parents with ADHD.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cites 17
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Journal of Child and Family Studies February 1, 2011
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Behavioral Problems and Attentional Functioning in Adolescents with ADHD Journal of Child and Family Studies September 21, 2011
- Research in Mindfulness Interventions for Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Critical Review. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience July 28, 2022
- The effectiveness of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programme for parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a pilot randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychology April 24, 2025
and 12 more in the library