The Association of Parent Mindfulness with Parenting and Youth Psychopathology Across Three Developmental Stages.
Justin Parent, Laura G McKee, Jennifer N Rough, Rex Forehand
Journal of abnormal child psychology 2016 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-015-9978-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study (path model) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 615 |
| Population | Parents (55% female) of children aged 3-17 years, divided into young childhood (3-7 years), middle childhood (8-12 years), and adolescence (13-17 years) groups |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Internal-external control Child behavior disorders Adolescent Adult Child, preschool Female Mindful parenting Child externalizing Child internalizing |
| Key findings | Higher parent dispositional mindfulness was indirectly related to lower youth internalizing and externalizing problems through higher mindful parenting and lower negative parenting practices, and this pattern was consistent across young childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. The authors contend that replication across developmental stages supports the model's generalizability. |
Abstract
The primary purpose of the current study was to test a model examining the process by which parent dispositional mindfulness relates to youth psychopathology through mindful parenting and parenting practices. The universality of the model across youth at three developmental stages was examined: young childhood (3-7 years; n = 210), middle childhood (8-12 years; n = 200), and adolescence (13-17 years; n = 205). Overall, participants were 615 parents (55% female) and one of their 3-to-17 year old children (45% female). Parents reported on their dispositional mindfulness, mindful parenting, positive and negative parenting practices and their child's or adolescent's internalizing and externalizing problems. Consistent findings across all three developmental stages indicated that higher levels of parent dispositional mindfulness were indirectly related to lower levels of youth internalizing and externalizing problems through higher levels of mindful parenting and lower levels of negative parenting practices. Replication of these findings across families with children at different developmental stages lends support to the generalizability of the model.
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
Cited by 19
- The Role of Mindfulness in Reducing the Adverse Effects of Childhood Stress and Trauma Children February 28, 2017
- Changes in Parent Psychological Flexibility after a One-Time Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Parents of Adolescents with Persistent Pain Conditions Children September 3, 2018
- What Is a Mindful Parenting Response? A Preliminary Study Connecting Mothers’ State Mindfulness to Their Neural Response to Infant and Parenting Outcomes Mindfulness June 15, 2026
- Mindfulness, Decentering, and Mother–Child Relationships in COVID-19 Lockdown: A Daily Diary Study Mindfulness February 1, 2026
- Comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based parenthood intervention for mothers and self compassion intervention for girls on resilience of teenage girls having parent-child conflict in COVID-19 Pandemic 2023
and 14 more in the library
Cites 9
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition Choice Reviews Online July 1, 2005
- 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
and 4 more in the library