Parental mindfulness has been linked to child adjustment outcomes, such as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. However, less is known about whether—and through what mechanisms—parental mindfulness may predict changes in school-related outcomes, particularly during early childhood. Therefore, the present study examined whether parental mindfulness was associated with increases in child school liking and school readiness over time and whether these associations were mediated by increases in child emotion regulation. Data were collected from the parents of 948 kindergarten children at two time points approximately 6 months apart. At Time 1, children were averaged 57.66 months in age (SD = 7.24), and 47% were girls. At Time 1, parents rated their own mindfulness. At both time points, parents rated their children’s emotion regulation, school liking, and school readiness.

Path analyses revealed two significant indirect effects:
(a) Time 1 parental mindfulness → Time 2 child emotion regulation → Time 2 school liking
(b) Time 1 parental mindfulness → Time 2 child emotion regulation → Time 2 school readiness

Importantly, the model controlled for Time 1 child emotion regulation, school liking, and school readiness, allowing us to focus on changes in child adjustment and draw stronger causal inferences. Theoretically, these findings highlighted the role of parental mindfulness in promoting child school adjustment during early childhood and pointed to child emotion regulation as a potential mediating mechanism. Practically, these findings suggested that interventions seeking to enhance parental mindfulness may be an effective strategy for fostering Chinese children’s emotion regulation and school adjustment.

Authors:
Chun Bun Lam, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Kevin Kien Hoa Chung, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Chun Bun Lam is an Associate Professor of The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. He studies how how family relationships may shape child development.

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