Mindfulness as a Potential Moderator Between Child Behavior Problems and Maternal Well-Being.
Gemma M Griffith, Christopher W N Saville, Elizabeth J. Halstead, Richard P. Hastings
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities November 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-128.6.411 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 313 |
| Population | Mothers of children with developmental disabilities |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Cross-sectional studies Parenting Parents Mothers Child Female Problem behavior Behavior problems Developmental disability |
| Key findings | Neither trait mindfulness nor mindful parenting moderated the association between child behavior problems and mothers' outcomes, including anxiety and depression symptoms, parenting stress, family satisfaction, and positive gain. Both mindfulness variables instead showed main-effect, compensatory associations with parent outcomes. The authors suggest mindfulness-based program benefits may be general rather than specific to high child behavior problems. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based programs can help lower psychological distress among parents of children with developmental disabilities. However, less is known about the functions of mindfulness in relation to parental outcomes. In a cross-sectional survey, mothers of children with developmental disabilities (N = 313) reported on their child's behavior problems, trait mindfulness, mindful parenting, and a range of outcomes (anxiety and depression symptoms, parenting stress, family satisfaction, and positive gain). Neither trait mindfulness or mindful parenting acted as moderators between child behavior problems and outcome variables, although both had main effect (compensatory) associations with parent outcomes. Benefits of mindfulness-based programs may be general rather than specifically in the context of high child behavior problems, given the lack of evidence for the moderating function of mindfulness.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review May 2, 2009
- Mindfulness and Psychotherapy FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry 2010
- Mindfulness-Based Programs: Why, When, and How to Adapt? Global Advances in Health and Medicine 2022
- Mindful parenting predicts mothers' and infants' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity during a dyadic stressor. Developmental Psychology November 28, 2016
and 1 more in the library