Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Education

Supervisor

Hutchinson, Lynda R.

Affiliation

King's University College

2nd Supervisor

Crooks, Clarie V.

Joint Supervisor

Abstract

A mixed-methods research design was employed to explore (a) how parent-child conflict, parent dispositional mindfulness and child sex were related to parental stress and children’s self-regulation and, (b) how parents at different levels of dispositional mindfulness describe their children’s strengths and challenges. Data were gathered from 106 Canadian parents (n = 97 mothers, Mean age = 36.24, SD = 3.95) who provided reports of their parent-child conflict, dispositional mindfulness, stress, their child’s self-regulation and children’s strengths and challenges at home (N = 106 children, boys = 50, Mean age = 5.95, SD = 0.48). Path analysis demonstrated that (a) parent-child conflict had a direct and statistically significant positive relationship with parental stress and a direct statistically significant negative relationship with children’s self-regulation, (b) parent dispositional mindfulness had a statistically significant direct negative relationship with parental stress and (c) child sex had a direct statistically significant relationship with child self-regulation. Mediation analysis determined dispositional mindfulness partially mediated the relationship between parent-child conflict and children’s activation control, and the relationship between parent-child conflict and parental stress, respectively. Finally, parents at higher levels of dispositional mindfulness reported more on children’s strengths and challenges for self-regulation specifically, compared to parents at lower levels of dispositional mindfulness. Results are interpreted as providing support towards the benefit of utilizing mindfulness practices to negate some of the negative associations of parenting factors on children’s self-regulation.

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