Mindful Parenting and Trajectories of Child Social-Emotional Development: A Study on Chinese Migrant Preschoolers

Objectives: Mindful parenting is an essential aspect of parenting practices, yet the role of mindful parenting in children’s social-emotional development in Chinese culture is poorly understood. This study examined how mindful parenting would predict the trajectories of social-emotional development among Chinese migrant preschoolers. Method: A total of 108 migrant families with preschool-aged children participated in three waves of data collection over 1 year. Parents completed questionnaires on their mindful parenting and their children’s self-regulation. Children’s behavioral regulation, emotion knowledge, and social problem solving skills were assessed using individual assessments. Results: Three aspects of mindful parenting (i.e., compassion and acceptance, interacting with full attention, and emotional awareness of the child) positively predicted children’s initial levels of self-regulation. However, there were no significant associations between mindful parenting and children’s initial levels or growth rates of behavioral regulation, emotion knowledge, and social problem solving skills. Conclusions: These findings revealed mixed evidence of the role of mindful parenting in Chinese preschoolers’ social-emotional development, and they highlighted the need to understand mindful parenting and its developmental effects in different cultural contexts. Preregistration: This study is not pre-registered.