Interparental conflict and mindful parenting practices: transactional effects between mothers and fathers

Cheung, R. Y. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0998-7991 and Chung, K. K. H. (2023) Interparental conflict and mindful parenting practices: transactional effects between mothers and fathers. Journal of Marriage and Family, 85 (1). pp. 280-292. ISSN 1741-3737 doi: 10.1111/jomf.12868

Abstract/Summary

Objective This study examined the transactional relations between mothers' and fathers' destructive interparental conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices. Background According to family systems theory and spillover hypothesis, interparental conflict sets the stage for parents' future levels of conflict as well as parenting difficulties. However, research on the link between conflict and mindful parenting practices remains scarce. The present study aims to investigate the longitudinal relations between mothers' and fathers' interparental conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices. Method Participants were 386 families involving mothers and fathers of adolescent children at 12–17 years old. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaire reports of destructive interparental conflict and mindful parenting at two time points spanning 12 months apart. A structural equation model was conducted to examine the relations between conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices. Results Findings indicated that mothers' and fathers' destructive conflict predicted their own and their spouses' subsequent destructive conflict, as well as mindful parenting practices. Mothers' and fathers' mindful parenting predicted their own mindful parenting longitudinally, but did not predict the other variables. Conclusion Supporting the spillover hypothesis, this study revealed the longitudinal effect of interparental conflict on mindful parenting, regardless of parent gender. Findings suggested dyadic effects between mothers and fathers, in that destructive conflict tactics were associated with future conflict tactics and mindful parenting practices employed by themselves and their spouses.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/107917
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Publisher	Wiley
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