The effectiveness of mindful parenting on self-efficacy of mothers and anxiety symptoms in preschool children with anxiety symptoms

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mindful parenting on the self-efficacy of mothers and anxiety symptoms in preschool children with anxiety symptoms in Tehran. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all mothers of children aged five to six years with anxiety symptoms in kindergartens in Tehran, in the academic year 1397-98, using the multi-stage cluster sampling method, 40 people were selected and randomly placed in two groups of 20 people. In this study, the experimental group received 8 sessions of 90 minutes of a mindfulness-based parenting education program. Participants also completed preschool anxiety questionnaires (PAS, Spence et al., 1996) and parental self-efficacy (PSAM, Domka et al., 1996) in three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The results of a mixed analysis of variance with repeated measures showed that mindfulness parenting training had an effect on increasing self-efficacy (p <0.05, F = 27.610) and reducing anxiety symptoms (p <0.05, F = 32.329) in children. The impact has remained stable during the follow-up period. According to the findings of the present study, it seems that the role of mindful parenting courses in preventing and reducing psychological problems in preschool children should be considered.