Investigating the Relationship between Mindful Parenting and Children's Executive Functions: The Mediating Role of Brain Waves

Mindful parenting enhances parenting capacity, stability, and adaptability, and strengthens parent-child relationships. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mindful parenting and children’s executive functions with the mediating role of brain waves.

This was a descriptive correlational study with a structural equation modeling method. The statistical population of the study included all 6-12-year-old children referred to the “Andisheh va Raftar” Clinic in Mashhad in 2019-20, form which 133 children (60 females, 73 males) were selected using available sampling method. The instruments used in the study included the Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (McCaffre et. Al, 2015), the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functions Scale-Children and Adolescents (Barkley, 2012), and Neurofeedback device. Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling method using SPSS23 and LISREL8.8 software.

The results showed that the proposed model best fitted the data. There was a direct relationship between mindful parenting and executive functions (β = 0.32, t = 5.34) and an indirect relationship through alpha wave (= 0.18). β, t = 3.58) and (β = 0.63, t = 12.31); Beta wave (β = 0.15, t = 3.16) and (β = 0.57, t = 9.32) and theta wave (β = 0.12, t = 1.25) and (0.22 = -β, 14 / 4- = t).

According to the results, mindful parenting is both directly and indirectly related to the executive functions through the mediation of brain waves. The results of this study contain practical implications for promoting children's executive functions in relation to parenting.