Mindful Parenting and Parents’ Emotion Expression: Effects on Adolescent Risk Behaviors

Abstract

Mindful parenting is associated with greater adjustment and fewer behavior problems in children and adolescents. However, the mechanisms by which mindful parenting functions to mitigate risk in adolescence is not well understood. This study investigated parent emotional expression as a potential mechanism in the relationship between low mindful parenting and adolescent risk behaviors. A sample of 157 12-14 year old adolescents (49% female) and their primary caregivers (99% female) participated in an emotionally-arousing conflict interaction. Parents reported on their mindful parenting practices, and parents’ emotion expressions during the conflict interaction were coded including negative emotion, positive emotion, and shared parent-youth positive emotion. Adolescent substance use and sex behaviors were assessed through self-report, interview, and physical toxicology screens. Results indicated that mindful parenting was associated with less parental negative emotion and greater shared positive emotion during the parent-adolescent conflict. Further, results revealed a significant indirect effect of mindful parenting on youth's substance use through shared parent-adolescent positive emotion. Findings highlight the relevance of emotional functioning in the context of stressful parenting situations in mindful parenting.

The Releationship Between Mindfulness and High-Risk Behaviors Mediated by Social-Virtual Networks

“…The second finding of the current study indicated that there were significant positive relationships between the individual, social, and cultural-moral dimensions and high-risk behaviors; therefore, it can be concluded that social-virtual networks provide the basis for increasing high-risk behaviors. This result is consistent with the results of a number of previous studies (8,(17)(18)(19). In a study conducted on 157 adolescents aged 12 to 14 years, Turpyn and Chaplin (17) found out that there was a significant correlation between mindfulness and high-risk behaviors.…”

“…This result is consistent with the results of a number of previous studies (8,(17)(18)(19). In a study conducted on 157 adolescents aged 12 to 14 years, Turpyn and Chaplin (17) found out that there was a significant correlation between mindfulness and high-risk behaviors. Valente et al (18), in a study on adolescents, showed that the existence of interactive networks, including social networks, had harmful effects on health and increased adolescents' tendency to high-risk behaviors.…”

The mindful family: a systemic approach to mindfulness, relational functioning, and somatic and mental health

“…Having considered that mindfulness influences relational functioning, we turn to the research on whether mindfulness in family members affects the mental and physical health, and reduces symptoms of (psycho)pathology of the individual, starting with parents. There is a large body of recent cross-sectional evidence showing that higher dispositional mindful parenting is associated with lower child (psycho)pathology: with parent-reported adolescents' anxiety and depression [23] with parent-reported child behavior problems [24] with adolescents' risk behaviors substance abuse and sexual engagement [25] with parent-reported youth internalizing and externalizing problems across three developmental stages [26] and youth-reported mindful parenting in fathers…”

Adapting to the changing needs of adolescents: parenting practices and challenges to sensitive attunement

“…Parents' capacities to attend to the adolescent’s thoughts, feelings and intentions have been described in terms of reflective function 34 , parental mindfulness 35 and meta-emotion philosophy 36 . This parental ability to attend to the adolescent’s experience in a non-reactive manner has been related to more positive parenting practices and less adolescent psychopathology 37, 38 . Parental mindfulness may also allow parents greater flexibility in responding during emotionally challenging conflict discussions in a way that promotes more cooperative and open communication 39 .…”