Mindful Parenting and Problem-Solving Intervention for Families with Experienced Life Adversity

Objectives: Families who have experienced life adversity may be at increased risk for poor coping and maladjustment. Given the breadth of research documenting the efficacy of mindfulness-informed interventions, integrating mindfulness strategies with problem-solving skills may be a promising approach to enhance coping among adversity-exposed families. Building from a previous pilot trial of a mindfulness-informed intervention for families involved with child welfare, this study examined the efficacy of the Mindful Parenting and Problem-Solving (MPPS) intervention on multiple domains of parental coping among families with experienced life adversity. Method: A sample of 26 parents were randomized into the MPPS intervention (n = 14) or wait-list control (n = 12) conditions. Participants completed self-report questionnaires that measured mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), cognitive-emotion regulation (Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short Form), and problem-solving (Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised) before and after the completion of the intervention. Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses were conducted on the entire randomized sample and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted on the per-protocol sample (n = 23). Results: The ITT analyses indicated that participants in the intervention condition reported significant improvements in positive refocus coping (p < 0.01), negative problem orientation (p < 0.05), and social problem-solving (p < 0.05) compared to control condition participants. Changes in positive refocus coping (p < 0.05, η_p² = 0.28) and negative problem orientation (p < 0.05, η_p² = 0.16) were maintained in the per-protocol sample. No significant differences in mindfulness were found between participants in the intervention and control conditions on the entire randomized or the per-protocol sample. Conclusions: Preliminary findings indicate that the MPPS intervention may support enhanced coping skills for families with experienced life adversity. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered.