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The Indirect Effect of the Mindful Parenting of Mothers and Fathers on the Child’s Perceived Well-Being Through the Child’s Attachment to Parents

Mindfulness volume 7, pages 916–927 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The main goal of this study is to explore whether the mindful parenting of both mothers and fathers is associated with the well-being of children through the attachment to their parents as well as to explore the moderating role of a child’s age on such associations. Moreover, this study examines the differences between mothers and fathers in their mindful parenting levels. The sample comprised 243 family triads that included a child or adolescent (aged between 8 and 19 years old) and both parents, recruited at school settings. Parents completed the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, whereas children completed the KIDSCREEN-10 and the People in My Life questionnaire. Mothers reported higher levels of mindful parenting than fathers. The child’s perception of security in the relationship with their parents mediated the link between the mindful parenting of both parents and the well-being of their child, and these associations were not moderated by the child’s age. Our findings suggest that mindful parenting is positively associated with a child’s well-being through a more secure perception of the relationship with the parents. This result highlights the importance of including mindful parenting practices in parental training programs directed at both mothers and fathers of children and adolescents with the aim of promoting a more secure parent-child relationship and, consequently, the child’s well-being.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under Grant SFRH/BPD/70063/2010

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  1. Cognitive-Behavioural Center for Research and Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo, Apartado 6153, 3001-802, Coimbra, Portugal

    Catarina Medeiros, Maria João Gouveia, Maria Cristina Canavarro & Helena Moreira

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  1. Catarina Medeiros
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  2. Maria João Gouveia
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  3. Maria Cristina Canavarro
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  4. Helena Moreira
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Correspondence to Helena Moreira.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. In addition, the study was approved by the Portuguese Data Protection Authority and the Board of Directors of the School Units.

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Informed consent was obtained from all the parents included in the study.

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Medeiros, C., Gouveia, M.J., Canavarro, M.C. et al. The Indirect Effect of the Mindful Parenting of Mothers and Fathers on the Child’s Perceived Well-Being Through the Child’s Attachment to Parents. Mindfulness 7, 916–927 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0530-z

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Keywords

  • Mindful parenting
  • Parenting
  • Attachment
  • Well-being
  • Children
  • Adolescents