Mindful parenting as both buffer and sensitizer in the association between parent-child conflict and parental stress:...

Parent-child conflict is a key source of parental stress, and mindful parenting may serve as a protective moderator. However, little is known about how these associations unfold at both the within-person (daily) and between-person levels. This study examined how daily fluctuations and individual differences in parent-child conflict were associated with parental stress, and whether baseline mindful parenting buffered these links. Seventy-three Chinese parents (M = 37.89, SD = 3.62, 86.3% mothers) of children aged 5-6 years completed a baseline measure of mindful parenting and a 14-day diary on daily parent-child conflict and parental stress. Multilevel structural equation models revealed that parent-child conflict was positively associated with parental stress at both within-person (i.e. higher same-day stress) and between-person (i.e. higher overall stress) levels. Furthermore, mindful parenting significantly moderated these associations at both levels in distinct ways. At the within-person level, the positive association between daily conflict and parental stress was weaker for parents with higher levels of mindful parenting compared to those with lower levels. At the between-person level, this positive association between average conflict and parental stress was significant only among parents with higher mindful parenting, and not among those with lower levels. These findings highlight the distinct roles of mindful parenting at different levels of analysis. While it buffers daily stress responses to conflict (within-person), it may also sensitize parents to chronic conflict (between-person). This dual role underscores the need for tailored interventions targeting both daily variations and enduring individual differences to promote family well-being.