Mindful parenting: a Meta-analytic review of intrapersonal and interpersonal parental outcomes

Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are increasingly used to reduce parental stress and to enhance dyadic interactions between parents and children. Prior reviews examining the effects of MPBs for parents have assessed restricted target populations, limited outcomes measures, and have relied on uncontrolled studies. This systematic and meta-analytic review quantified the efficacy of MBPs for parents using comprehensive intrapersonal and interpersonal outcome measures and methodologically robust studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effect of MBPs on parents were identified, data were extracted, and assessed for risk of bias by two independent reviewers. Twenty studies (n = 1003) were included in the analyses. Programs had moderate effects for general stress (Hedge's g = 0.410), internalizing psychological symptoms (Hedge's g = 0.519), and well-being (Hedge's g = 0.588). Small-to-moderate effects were observed for combined mindfulness (Hedge's g = 0.295), parenting stress (Hedge's g = 0.284), and parenting behavior (Hedge's g = 0.299). Effects were not significant for parental interactions with children, marital outcomes, self-compassion, emotion regulation, general mindfulness, and mindful parenting. Subgroup analyses revealed that populations with medical conditions (Hedge's g = 1.203) benefited more from MBPs compared to populations with psychological symptoms (Hedge's g = 0.452). Furthermore, parents showed greater improvement on well-being when both parents and children engaged in mindfulness training (Hedge's g = 0.838) compared to parents alone (Hedge's g = 0.700). Results support the efficacy of MBPs in improving intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes for parents. Diversity within the programs may contribute towards non-significant changes in general mindfulness and mindful parenting. Future studies should use standardized mindfulness-based parenting programs to enhance methodological rigor.