Objectives Considering the Western-Eastern cultural differences in parenting practices, as well as the relative paucity of research on the use of mindfulness-based programs by Chinese parents, we replicated a recently proposed Western model of mindfulness. The purpose of this study was to test the direct and indirect relations between parents' dispositional mindfulness, mindful parenting, parenting practices, and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Method A total of 2237 Chinses parents (M = 38.46, SD = 4.43) of 6-to 12-year-old children participated in the current study. Results The results showed that parents' dispositional mindfulness was indirectly associated with child internalizing and externalizing behaviors through mindful parenting and positive parenting practices, whereas this pathway was not significant through negative parenting practices. In addition, mothers and fathers demonstrated almost equal effects on direct and indirect pathways except that mothers showed stronger effects on the relationships between dispositional mindfulness and mindful parenting, as well as on the link between negative parenting practices and child externalizing behaviors. Conclusions These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying how mindfulness and parenting associated with child internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and have important implications for research on interventions aimed at promoting children's psychological well-being. Keywords Mindfulness. Mindful parenting. Internalizing problems. Externalizing problems Mindfulness refers to Bthe awareness that emerges through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment^(Kabat-Zinn 2003, p. 145). Research has highlighted a number of benefits associated with increased mindfulness, including reduced depression and anxiety symptoms

Numerous studies have identified the significant role of emotion regulation in an individual's psychological and social functioning. Ever since its development, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) has been widely adopted as a comprehensive measure to assess emotion regulation problems among English-speaking adults. To assess emotion regulation in adults from Chinese-speaking societies and to promote future cross-cultural examination of the emotion regulation processes, the authors aimed to develop a Chinese version of the DERS and provide an initial validation of this instrument. For the purpose of the current study, we recruited 862 Chinese adults from universities and local companies. The results indicated a similar six-factor solution in the Chinese version to the original version. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were good. Concurrent validity was assessed by examining the correlations of the DERS and its subscales with measures of psychopathological symptoms and self-regulation of negative mood. The results demonstrated strong correlations of the DERS subscales with the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Generalized Expectancy for Negative Mood Regulation Scale, except for that between the awareness subscale and the SCL-90. For the convergent validity, most DERS subscales were significantly correlated with personality traits, emotional intelligence, and self-control ability, with several exceptions. These findings are discussed within the context of the relevant literature. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Objectives Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display a variety of verbally aggressive, physically aggressive, and destructive behaviors. Meditation on the Soles of the Feet (SoF) as an informal mindfulness-based practice has been effective in managing aggressive behaviors in adolescents with ASD. The aim of this study was to assess its effectiveness and social validity in a Chinese context. Methods Mothers of three Chinese adolescents with ASD were taught a basic foundational meditation practice, followed by instructions in the SoF practice. Once proficient in these two practices, the mothers taught their adolescents with ASD to use SoF for triggers of their aggressive and destructive behaviors. The mothers rated the social validity of the SoF practice. Results Visual analysis and weighted average Tau-U scores across participants showed that the SoF practice had a very strong effect on reducing the verbally aggressive, physically aggressive, and destructive behaviors of the three adolescents. Conclusions Data regarding effectiveness and social validity indicated that the SoF practice was effective and socially valid as a self-management practice for aggressive and destructive behavior of adolescents with ASD. Further studies of the SoF practice are needed to validate its effectiveness for Chinese children with ASD.

Parenting practices have been linked to a wide range of issues related to children's psychological adjustment; however, more research is warranted to further understand not only cultural variations of parenting norms, but also how such variations might differentially influence child outcomes. The current study examined the psychometric properties of a Chinese translation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS) in order to: 1) assess both positive and negative dimensions of parenting in Chinese-speaking societies, and 2) to explore the relationships between these practices and children's psychopathological symptoms. A total of 2237 parents with children between 6-12 years old completed the MAPS, Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P), adapted Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and other measures related to children's psychosocial functioning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a clear six-factor structure. Results demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. MAPS subscales also showed concurrent and convergent validity with mindful parenting, parent-child bonding, and children's psychopathology outcomes. The importance of using culturally validated dimensional measures of parenting is discussed in this paper.