Mindful Parenting Behaviors and Emotional Self-Regulation in Children With ADHD and Controls.
Subhadra Evans, Sampada Bhide, J. Quek, J. Nicholson, V. Anderson, P. Hazell, M. Mulraney, E. Sciberras
Journal of pediatric psychology September 14, 2020 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa073 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 225 |
| Population | Parents of 120 children with ADHD (85% male; mean age 11.93 years) and 105 control families (62% male; mean age 11.98 years) |
| Measures | Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale, Longitudinal Study of Australian Children measures (parenting warmth, consistency, and anger), Kessler 6, Social Skills Improvement System-self-control subscale |
| Key findings | Parents of children with ADHD reported significantly lower mindful parenting than control parents. Across both groups, higher mindful parenting was associated with lower parent psychological distress, greater parenting warmth and consistency, less parenting anger, and higher child emotion self-regulation. Mediation analysis indicated mindful parenting was indirectly associated with child emotion self-regulation through lower parenting anger, accounting for 55% of the variance. |
Abstract
Objective: Mindfulness is defined as paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally and these behaviors can be applied to parenting. Thus far, it is not understood whether mindful parenting (MP) differs in parents of children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and how MP relates to other parenting practices and children's self-regulation.
Methods: This study examined the relationships between MP, parenting behaviors and children's self-regulation in 120 families with child ADHD (85% male; mean age = 11.93) and 105 control families (62% male; mean age = 11.98). Parents completed measures of MP (Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale), parenting behaviors (parenting warmth, consistency, and anger assessed with the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children measures), psychological distress (Kessler 6), and children's self-regulation (Social Skills Improvement System-self-control subscale).
Results: When compared with controls, parents of children with ADHD reported significantly lower MP. Higher MP was associated with lower levels of parent psychological distress, higher levels of parenting warmth and consistency, lower levels of parenting anger, and higher child emotion self-regulation in both groups. In mediation analyses, MP was indirectly associated with child emotion self-regulation through lower parenting anger, with the model accounting for 55% of the variance in child self-regulation.
Conclusions: MP is a useful construct for understanding parent behaviors, and children's emotion self-regulation.
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review May 2, 2009
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Journal of Child and Family Studies February 1, 2011
- Systematic review of meditation-based interventions for children with ADHD European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2017
- Mindful Relating: Exploring Mindfulness and Emotion Repertoires in Intimate Relationships Journal of Marital and Family Therapy October 1, 2007