Mindful parenting mediated between mothers’ perceived stress during COVID-19 and child adjustment

Cheung, R. Y. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0998-7991 and Wang, I. Y. (2022) Mindful parenting mediated between mothers’ perceived stress during COVID-19 and child adjustment. Mindfulness, 13. pp. 3109-3122. ISSN 1868-8535 doi: 10.1007/s12671-022-02018-y

Abstract/Summary

Objectives Maternal stress is associated with a myriad of maladjusted outcomes among children. To identify the role of mindful parenting between mothers’ stress and child adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study tested competing hypotheses with mothers’ mindful parenting as a mediator versus a moderator. Methods A total of 172 Chinese mothers of preschool-aged children participated in this study. Participants completed self-report measures of stress during COVID-19 and mindful parenting, as well as a mother-report of children’s prosocial behavior, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Structural equation models were conducted to examine the mediation versus moderation effects of mindful parenting between mothers’ stress during COVID-19 and child adjustment, after controlling for family income, child’s gender, age, and child adjustment at baseline. Results Findings indicated that mindful parenting mediated the link between mothers’ stress during COVID-19 and child adjustment, including internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and prosocial behavior. A test of competing hypothesis showed that mindful parenting did not moderate between mothers’ stress during COVID-19 and child adjustment. Conclusions This study revealed the mediating effects of mindful parenting between mothers’ perceived stress during COVID-19 and child adjustment. The findings inform researchers and practitioners about mindful parenting as a potential mechanism between maternal stress and child adjustment during the pandemic.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/108480
Identification Number/DOI	10.1007/s12671-022-02018-y
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Publisher	Springer
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