Investigating the Role of Mindfulness in the Relationship between Children's Psychological Problems (Internalizing and Externalizing Problems) and Perceived Stress of Bostan Abad Mothers in 2018: A Descriptive Study

Background and Objectives:

 Mindfulness increases the performance of interpersonal relationships and the effectiveness of coping with stress in parents of children with psychological problems. The existence of children with psychological problems in the family, according to the specific needs of these children, is a source of stress and affects the mental health of family members. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of mindfulness as a moderator or mediator in the relationship between children's psychological problems (internalizing and externalizing) and perceived stress in mothers.

In this descriptive correlational study, 250 students were selected through multi-stage random cluster sampling among parents of elementary school students in Bostan Abad city in the academic year of 2017-2018. In order to collect data, the Mindfulness Questionnaire, Child Behavioral Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale were used as research tool. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression.

The results showed that there is a significant relationship between the externalizing and internalizing problems of children and its sub-components, including seclusion/depression, physical complaint, depression anxiety, rule breaking and aggressive behavior and perceived stress of mothers (p=0.001). Also, moderating role of mindfulness variable was confirmed in the relationship between variables of internalizing and externalizing problems of children and perceived stress in mothers (p=0.001).

According to the results, it seems that mindfulness as a protective factor can be effective in reducing the stress of mothers due to children's problems. How to cite this article: Babaei Nadinluei K, Fatehi Bostanabad F. Investigating the Role of Mindfulness in the Relationship Between Children's Psychological Problems (Internalizing and Externalizing Problems) and Perceived Stress of Bostan Abad Mothers in 2018: A Descriptive Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2020; 18 (11): 1083-1102. [Farsi]