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Volume 24, Issue 156 (12-2025)                   Journal of Psychological Science 2025, 24(156): 111-131 | Back to browse issues page


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Teimouri M, Shairi M R, Farahani H. (2025). Examining the Mediating Role of Mindful Parenting in the Relationship Between Maternal Anxiety, Maternal Childhood Maltreatment and Child’s Internalizing and Externalizing Problems. Journal of Psychological Science. 24(156), 111-131. doi:10.61186/jps.24.156.7
URL: http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-2838-en.html
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. , shairi@shahed.ac.ir
Abstract:   (851 Views)
Background: Given that a mother's childhood anxiety and traumas affect her behavior with her child, and especially her parenting style, It is considered important to examine the impact of these variables on child’s internalizing and externalizing problems. Despite the importance of the topic, the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment and internalizing and externalizing Problems mediated by mindful parenting has not been investigated in Iran.
Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of mindful parenting in the relationship between maternal anxiety and maternal childhood maltreatment and child’s internalizing and externalizing problems.
Methods: The method of this research was correlation and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the study included all mothers with primary school children in Tehran in the academic year 2023-2024, of whom 370 were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling.The data collection tools in this research included Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (Antony, 1998), Mindfulness In Parenting Questionnaire (McCaffrey et al., 2015), Child Behavior Checklist (Achenback & Rescorla, 2003) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein et al., 2003). The obtained data were also analyzed using SPSS-27 and R.4.3.1 software.
Results: The results show that the proposed model has a very good fit. The results of this study also showed that a positive and significant relationship (P< 0.01) between anxiety and mternal childhood maltreatment and internalizing and externalizing Problems. There is a negative and significant relationship between anxiety and mternal childhood maltreatment and mindful parenting (P< 0.01), and there is also a negative and significant relationship (P< 0.01) between mindful parenting and internalizing and externalizing Problems. The results of structural equations also confirmed the mediating role of being in the present with the child between the maternal childhood maltreatment and the child's anxiety/ depression (P= 0.041) and between the maternal childhood maltreatment and the child's physical complaints (P= 0.066).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, by increasing parents' mindfulness in the context of parenting, especially the category of being in the present moment with the child, the negative effects of the maternal childhood maltreatment on child’s internalizing and externalizing problems can be partially reduced.
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Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2025/02/13 | Accepted: 2025/04/16 | Published: 2025/12/31

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