The Relationship between Mindful Parenting and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Adjustment and Self-Disclosure

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between mindful parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents, as well as the mediating role of adjustment and self-disclosure. The research was descriptive and correlational in nature. The statistical population included all senior high school students during the 2022-2023 academic year in Shahreza (3644 students) and their parents. A sample of 400 students was selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (MIPQ), the Youth Self-Report (YSR), the Adjustment Inventory for School Students (AISS), and the Chelune Self-Disclosure Situations Survey (SDSS). The proposed model of relationships among the variables was examined using structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that adjustment mediated the relationship between mindful parenting and internalizing problems (β = -0.229) and externalizing problems (β = -0.158), while self-disclosure mediated the relationship between mindful parenting and externalizing problems (β = -0.022) but not internalizing problems. Mindful parenting, self-disclosure, and adjustment explained 51.4% of the variance in internalizing problems and 42% in externalizing problems. Therefore, the study concluded that mindful parenting, both directly and through adjustment and self-disclosure, significantly impacts adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems, offering practical implications for prevention and clinical interventions.