Bidirectional Longitudinal Relationship Between Perceived Paternal and Maternal Mindful Parenting and Depressive Symptoms in Children

Depressive symptoms can negatively impact children’s well-being. It is essential to investigate whether mindful parenting, serving as a family protective factor, influences children’s depressive symptoms. However, there is limited research examining the positive impact of both perceived paternal and maternal mindful parenting on children’s depressive symptoms. It also remains unclear whether children’s depressive symptoms affect mindful parenting. In this study, we used a cross-lagged design to explore the bidirectional longitudinal relationship between perceived paternal and maternal mindful parenting and depressive symptoms in Chinese children, as well as gender differences in this relationship.

Participants (n = 757; 64.9% boys; M_age = 10.95, SD_age = 0.62) were recruited from three primary schools in the eastern part of China. They completed three self-report questionnaires at two time points, 1 year apart, assessing children’s perceptions of paternal mindful parenting, maternal mindful parenting, and depressive symptoms.

The results displayed that only perceived maternal mindful parenting inversely predicted children’s depressive symptoms. Boys’ depressive symptoms inversely predicted both perceived paternal and maternal mindful parenting, whereas this effect was not observed in girls. In addition, perceived maternal mindful parenting positively predicted perceived paternal mindful parenting.

These findings highlight the critical role of perceived maternal mindful parenting on depressive symptoms in Chinese children, and that boys’ depressive symptoms impeded mindful parenting practices. Future interventions should focus on the pivotal role of mothers and also aim to enhance fathers’ mindful awareness in parenting. Moreover, future research could explore interventions based on the gender differences in parent–child interactions between boys and girls.

This study is not preregistered.