TY - JOUR
T1 - Mindful parenting mediated the longitudinal relation between mothers' depressive symptoms and child adjustment
AU - Cheung, Rebecca Y.M.
AU - Ren, Lixin
AU - Boise, Courtney
AU - Yao, Xiaoqian
AU - Wang, Mu
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 National Council on Family Relations.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Objectives: This longitudinal study examined mindful parenting as a mediator between maternal depressive symptoms and child adjustment outcomes, including internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and prosocial behavior. Background: Maternal depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk for child psychopathology, highlighting the importance of elucidating explanatory processes. Methods: Participants included 141 Chinese mothers across three time points over the course of a year, with a 6-month interval between time points. Upon informed consent, participating mothers completed a self-report questionnaire that assessed the study variables. Results: Mindful parenting longitudinally mediated the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and child adjustment, including externalizing problems and prosocial behavior, over and above baseline mindful parenting and child adjustment. Specifically, maternal depressive symptoms negatively predicted mindful parenting. Mindful parenting further predicted children's externalizing problems and prosocial behavior but not internalizing problems. Conclusion: The present findings suggested the importance of mindful parenting as a process between mothers' depressive symptoms and child adjustment. Implications: In the face of maternal depressive symptoms, interventions targeting to promote mindful parenting may be helpful in fostering child adjustment.
AB - Objectives: This longitudinal study examined mindful parenting as a mediator between maternal depressive symptoms and child adjustment outcomes, including internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and prosocial behavior. Background: Maternal depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk for child psychopathology, highlighting the importance of elucidating explanatory processes. Methods: Participants included 141 Chinese mothers across three time points over the course of a year, with a 6-month interval between time points. Upon informed consent, participating mothers completed a self-report questionnaire that assessed the study variables. Results: Mindful parenting longitudinally mediated the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and child adjustment, including externalizing problems and prosocial behavior, over and above baseline mindful parenting and child adjustment. Specifically, maternal depressive symptoms negatively predicted mindful parenting. Mindful parenting further predicted children's externalizing problems and prosocial behavior but not internalizing problems. Conclusion: The present findings suggested the importance of mindful parenting as a process between mothers' depressive symptoms and child adjustment. Implications: In the face of maternal depressive symptoms, interventions targeting to promote mindful parenting may be helpful in fostering child adjustment.
KW - externalizing problems
KW - internalizing problems
KW - maternal depressive symptoms
KW - mindful parenting
KW - prosocial behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=86000227507&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/fare.13161
DO - 10.1111/fare.13161
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:86000227507
SN - 0197-6664
JO - Family Relations
JF - Family Relations
ER -