Mindful parenting mediated the longitudinal relation between mothers' depressive symptoms and child adjustment

Abstract

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.