Maternal Mindfulness During Pregnancy and Early Child Social-Emotional Development and Behavior Problems: The Potential Mediating Role of Maternal Mental Health

Abstract

Objectives: During the perinatal period, women are exposed to major changes, holding possible adverse effects on psychological well-being and child development. An effective way of coping with these challenges and adjustments could be mindfulness. The current study examined associations of mindfulness facets during pregnancy with toddler’s social-emotional development and behavior problems, as well as potentially mediating effects of maternal mental health. Method: A total of 167 women completed questionnaires during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and 2 and 3 years after childbirth, assessing dispositional mindfulness, pregnancy distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, child social-emotional development, and child behavior problems. Results: There was a positive association between maternal non-reacting mindfulness skills and child social-emotional development at 2 years of age, regardless of mothers’ perinatal mental health, whereas other mindfulness facets were unrelated. Pregnancy distress mediated the association between maternal non-judging skills during pregnancy and child externalizing problem behavior, but no other mediating effects were found. Conclusions: Non-reacting skills in mothers during pregnancy may have favorable implications for child social-emotional development. Due to the relatively high number of tests that were conducted, the mediating effect of pregnancy distress must be interpreted with caution.