Mindful Parenting and Child Internalizing Problems: Assessment, Relationships and Treatment
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Open Access
Type
ThesisThesis type
Doctor of PhilosophyAuthor/s
Burgdorf, VirginiaAbstract
Parenting stress and child mental health are interwoven, so reducing parenting stress may improve child symptoms. This thesis evaluates whether mindful parenting programs (MPPs) reduce stress for parents of children with primary internalizing problems and explores whether and how ...
See moreParenting stress and child mental health are interwoven, so reducing parenting stress may improve child symptoms. This thesis evaluates whether mindful parenting programs (MPPs) reduce stress for parents of children with primary internalizing problems and explores whether and how MPPs might reduce those problems. The meta-analysis found that MPPs may lower parenting stress and child problems, but reduced parenting stress did not predict improvements in child internalizing problems. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a 6-facet model of mindful parenting (de Bruin et al., 2014) to be a good fit in English-language mothers. Regression analyses showed that mindful parenting, in particular the Non-judgmental Acceptance of Parental Functioning facet, uniquely predicted child internalizing problems, parental experiential avoidance, cognitive emotion regulation and parent beliefs and behaviors relating to child anxiety. A randomized, waitlist-controlled feasibility study found that an 8-week MPP was well-attended and acceptable to community-recruited parents with concerns about their child’s internalizing problems. Effects favoured the intervention group, with moderate to large improvements in school-aged child internalizing symptoms, parenting stress, experiential avoidance, cognitive emotion regulation and unhelpful beliefs regarding child anxiety. Coping in stressful parenting situations also improved. Qualitative feedback identified increased acceptance, self-compassion and empathy as helping parents cope with child internalizing problems. This thesis shows that MPPs are likely to reduce parenting stress and child internalizing problems. Reductions in child internalizing could be explained by improved parent emotion regulation and less unhelpful beliefs regarding child anxiety. These findings could be further explored experimentally and through longitudinal path analysis.
See less
See moreParenting stress and child mental health are interwoven, so reducing parenting stress may improve child symptoms. This thesis evaluates whether mindful parenting programs (MPPs) reduce stress for parents of children with primary internalizing problems and explores whether and how MPPs might reduce those problems. The meta-analysis found that MPPs may lower parenting stress and child problems, but reduced parenting stress did not predict improvements in child internalizing problems. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a 6-facet model of mindful parenting (de Bruin et al., 2014) to be a good fit in English-language mothers. Regression analyses showed that mindful parenting, in particular the Non-judgmental Acceptance of Parental Functioning facet, uniquely predicted child internalizing problems, parental experiential avoidance, cognitive emotion regulation and parent beliefs and behaviors relating to child anxiety. A randomized, waitlist-controlled feasibility study found that an 8-week MPP was well-attended and acceptable to community-recruited parents with concerns about their child’s internalizing problems. Effects favoured the intervention group, with moderate to large improvements in school-aged child internalizing symptoms, parenting stress, experiential avoidance, cognitive emotion regulation and unhelpful beliefs regarding child anxiety. Coping in stressful parenting situations also improved. Qualitative feedback identified increased acceptance, self-compassion and empathy as helping parents cope with child internalizing problems. This thesis shows that MPPs are likely to reduce parenting stress and child internalizing problems. Reductions in child internalizing could be explained by improved parent emotion regulation and less unhelpful beliefs regarding child anxiety. These findings could be further explored experimentally and through longitudinal path analysis.
See less
Date
2022Rights statement
The author retains copyright of this thesis. It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. It must not be used for any other purposes and may not be transmitted or shared with others without prior permission.Faculty/School
Faculty of ScienceDepartment, Discipline or Centre
School of PsychologyAwarding institution
The University of SydneyShare