TITLE:
The Relationship between Child Stress, Child Mindfulness and Parent Mindfulness
AUTHORS:
Lea Waters
KEYWORDS:
Parenting, Mindfulness, Stress, Relationships, Psychological Health
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.7 No.1,
January
14,
2016
ABSTRACT: The current study tested the degree to which mindfulness in parents was directly and indirectly related to stress levels in children. A community sample of 68 parent-child dyads completed self-report surveys (Children: Mage = 10.70, SD = 2.6; 52% female, 48% male; Parents: Mage = 42.70, SD = 9.6; 72% female, 28% male). Multiple regression analyses revealed that both parent mindfulness and child mindfulness were significantly and negatively related to child stress levels. However, mindfulness in children did not mediate the relationship between mindfulness in parents and stress in children. This study contributes to the emerging literature on the effects of mindful parenting on child wellbeing and provides practical suggestions for how parents and children can increase their mindfulness.