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The Longitudinal Relationship Between Mindful Parenting and Child Emotional Self-Regulation
Jon Quach1,2, Kate Burke1, Dennae Schleibs1
1Learning Interventions Academic Group, Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Child: Care, Health and Development
|January 20, 2026
Summary
Mindful parenting supports children's emotion regulation, but not vice-versa. Supporting parents with mindful strategies can enhance children's long-term emotional well-being and school readiness.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child and Family Studies
- Mindfulness Research
Background:
- Socio-emotional competencies are crucial for school readiness.
- Children with behavioral, emotional, or social difficulties face higher risks for poor academic and health outcomes.
- Parental modeling influences children's emotion regulation, yet the link between mindful parenting and child emotion regulation is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential bi-directional relationship between mindful parenting and child emotion regulation.
- To determine if mindful parenting influences child emotion regulation and vice versa during early school years.
Main Methods:
- A cross-lagged panel structural equation model (SEM) was employed.
- Data from 676 parents in the Minds@Play study cohort were analyzed.
- Parents completed the Affective Reactivity Index (ARI) and Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting (IEM-P) scales at two time points.
Main Results:
- A significant unidirectional relationship was found: higher mindful parenting at Time 1 predicted lower child irritability at Time 2 (β = -0.166, p = 0.023).
- Child irritability at Time 1 did not significantly predict mindful parenting at Time 2 (β = -0.099, p = 0.160).
- These results suggest that mindful parenting influences child emotion regulation, but not the reverse.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a unidirectional influence of mindful parenting on children's emotion regulation.
- Interventions aimed at enhancing parental mindfulness may be effective in improving children's emotional regulation and overall well-being.
- Supporting parents in adopting mindful parenting strategies is a promising avenue for promoting long-term child development.
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