Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Parent Mindfulness and Child Outcome: The Roles of Parent Depressive Symptoms and Parenting

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Mindfulness Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine pathways in a model which proposed associations among parent mindfulness, parent depressive symptoms, two types of parenting, and child problem behavior. Participants' data were from the baseline assessment of a NIMH-sponsored family-group cognitive-behavioral intervention program for the prevention of child and adolescent depression (Compas et al., 2009). Participants consisted of 145 mothers and 17 fathers (mean age = 41.89 yrs, SD = 7.73) with a history of depression and 211 children (106 males) (mean age = 11.49 yrs, SD = 2.00). Analyses showed that (a) positive parenting appears to play a significant role in helping explain how parent depressive symptoms relate to child externalizing problems and (b) mindfulness is related to child internalizing and externalizing problems; however, the intervening constructs examined did not appear to help explain the mindfulness-child problem behavior associations. Suggestions for future research on parent mindfulness and child problem outcome are described.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. Burlington: Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alderfer, M. A., Fiese, B. H., Gold, J. I., Holmbeck, G. N., Goldbeck, L., Chambers, C. T., et al. (2008). Evidence-based assessment in pediatric psychology: Family measures. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 33, 1046–1061.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baer, R. A. (2006). Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: Clinician’s guide to evidence base and applications. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., Ball, R., & Ranieri, W. (1996a). Comparison of Beck Depression Inventories-IA and -II in psychiatric outpatients. Journal of Personality Assessment, 67, 588–597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. K. (1996b). Beck Depression Inventory-second edition manual. San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, S., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N., Carmody, J., et al. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822–848.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, L. (2003). The impact of maternal depression on familial relationships. International Review of Psychiatry, 15, 243–255.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coatsworth, J. D., Duncan, L. G., Greenberg, M. T., & Nix, R. L. (2010). Changing parent’s mindfulness, child management skills and relationship quality with their youth: Results from a randomized pilot intervention trial. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 203–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. A. S., & Semple, R. J. (2010). Mindful parenting: A call for research. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 145–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Compas, B. E., Champion, J. E., Forehand, R., Cole, D. A., Reeslund, K. L., Fear, J., et al. (2010). Coping and parenting: Mediators of 12-month outcomes of a family group cognitive-behavioral preventive intervention with families of depressed parents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 623–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Compas, B. E., Forehand, R., Keller, G., Champion, J. E., Rakow, A., Reeslund, K. L., et al. (2009). Randomized controlled trial of a family cognitive-behavioral preventive intervention for children of depressed parents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 1007–1020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeGarmo, D. S., Patterson, G. R., & Forgatch, M. S. (2004). How do outcomes in a specified parent training intervention maintain or wane over time? Prevention Science, 5, 73–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dix, T., & Meunier, L. N. (2009). Depressive symptoms and parenting competence: An analysis of 13 regulatory processes. Developmental Review, 29, 45–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dumas, J. E. (2005). Mindfulness-based parent training: Strategies to lessen the grip of automaticity in families with disruptive children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 779–791.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, L. G., Coatsworth, J. D., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). A model of mindful parenting: Implications for parent-child relationships and prevention research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 12, 255–270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ensminger, M. E., & Forthergill, K. (2003). A decade of measuring SES: What it tells us and where to go from here. In M. H. Bornstein & R. H. Bradley (Eds.), Socioeconomic status, parenting, and child development (pp. 13–27). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., & Williams, J. B. W. (2002). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version, Patient Edition (SCID-I/P). New York: Biometrics Research, New York State Psychiatric Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forgatch, M. S., Patterson, G. R., Degarmo, D. S., & Beldavs, Z. G. (2009). Testing the Oregon delinquency model with 9-year follow-up of the Oregon Divorce Study. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 637–660.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, F., Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., & Whitaker, C. (2010). Who benefits and how does it work? Moderators and mediators of outcome in an effectiveness trial of a parenting intervention. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39, 568–580.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. H. (2007). Depression in mothers. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 3, 107–135.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. H., & Gotlib, I. H. (1999). Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: A developmental model for understanding mechanisms of transmission. Psychological Reveiw, 106, 458–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 169–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaser, S. S., Langrock, A. M., Keller, G., Merchant, M. J., Benson, M. A., Reeslund, K., et al. (2005). Coping with the stress of parental depression II: Adolescent and parent reports of coping and adjustment. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 193–205.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are (Mindfulness meditation in everyday life). New York: Hyperion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, J., Birmaher, B., Brent, D., Rao, U., Flynn, C., Moreci, P., et al. (1997). schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and lifetime version (K-SADS-PL): Initial reliability and validity data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 980–988.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kingston, T., Dooley, B., Bates, A., Lawlor, E., & Malone, K. (2007). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for residual depressive symptoms. Psychology and Psychotherapy, 80, 193–203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lovejoy, M. C., Graczyk, P. A., O’Hare, E., & Neuman, G. (2000). Maternal depression and parenting behavior: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 20, 561–592.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacKillop, J., & Anderson, E. J. (2007). Further psychometric validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 29, 289–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMahon, R. J., Wells, K. C., & Kotler, J. S. (2006). Conduct Problems. In E. J. Mash & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Treatment of childhood disorders (3rd ed., pp. 137–268). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melby, J. N., & Conger, R. D. (2001). The Iowa family interation rating scales: Instrument summary. In P. K. Kerig & K. M. Lindahl (Eds.), Family observational coding system: Resources for systemtic research (pp. 33–58). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melby, J. N., Conger, R. D., Book, R., Rueter, M., Lucy, L., Repinski, D., et al. (1998). The Iowa family interation rating scales. In Unpublished manuscript, Institute of Social and Behavioral Research (5th ed.). Ames: Iowa State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council & Institute of Medicine. (2009). Depression in parents, parenting, and children: Opportunities to improve identification, treatment, and prevention. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). The other end of the continuum: the cost of rumination. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 216–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rakow, A., Forehand, R., McKee, L. G., Champion, J. E., Haker, K., Roberts, L., Compas, B. E. (2010). The association of parental depressive symptoms with child internalizing problems: The role of parental guilt induction. Journal of Family Psychology (in press).

  • Rakow, A., Forehand, R., McKee, L., Coffelt, N., Champion, J., Fear, J., et al. (2009). The relation of parental guilt induction to child internalizing problems when a caregiver has a history of depression. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 18, 367–377.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roelofs, J., Rood, L., Meesters, C., te Dorsthorst, V., Bogels, S., & Alloy, L. B. (2009). he influence of rumination and distraction on depressed and anxious mood: a prospective examination of the response styles theory in children and adolescents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 18, 635–642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S., Curtis, W. J., Wahler, R. G., Sabaawi, M., et al. (2006). Mindful staff increase learning and reduce aggression in adults with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 27, 545–558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S., Singh, J., Curtis, W. J., Wahler, R. G., et al. (2007). Mindful parenting decreases aggression and increases social behavior in children with developmental disabilities. Behavior Modification, 31, 749–771.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S. W., Singh, J., Singh, A. N., Adkins, A. D., et al. (2010). Training in mindful caregiving transfers to parent-child interactions. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 167–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, N. N., Singh, A. N., Lancioni, G. E., Singh, J., Winton, A. S. W., & Adkins, A. D. (2010). Mindfulness training for parents and their children with ADHD increases the children’s compliance. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 157–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skre, I., Onstad, S., Torgerse, S., & Kringlen, E. (1991). Higher interrater reliability for the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R Axis I (SCID-I). Acta Psychiatria Scaminavica, 84, 167–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymtotic confidence intervals for indirect effects of structural equation models. In S. Leinhardt (Ed.), Sociological Methodology (pp. 290–312). Washington DC: American Sociological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teasdale, J. D. (1988). Cognitive vulnerability to persistent depression. Cognition and Emotion, 2, 247–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanarini, M. C., Skodol, A. E., Bender, D., Dolan, R., Sanislow, C., Schaefer, E., et al. (2000). The collaborative longitudinal personality disorder study: Reliability of axis I and II diagnosis. Journal of Personality Disorders, 14, 291–299.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Justin Parent, Emily Garai, Rex Forehand & Erin Roland

  2. Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Jennifer Potts, Kelly Haker, Jennifer E. Champion & Bruce E. Compas

Authors
  1. Justin Parent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emily Garai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rex Forehand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Erin Roland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jennifer Potts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kelly Haker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jennifer E. Champion
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Bruce E. Compas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rex Forehand.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Parent, J., Garai, E., Forehand, R. et al. Parent Mindfulness and Child Outcome: The Roles of Parent Depressive Symptoms and Parenting. Mindfulness 1, 254–264 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-010-0034-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-010-0034-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation