The Relationship between Mindful Attention Awareness and Parenting Stress among Chinese Parents

This study aimed to examine the relationship between parents' mindful attention awareness and their parenting stress. A survey was conducted with 461 parents from various provinces in China, and both correlation and regression analyses were applied to the data. The findings revealed a significant negative correlation between mindful attention awareness and parenting stress (r = -0.235, p < 0.001). Even after controlling for demographic variables such as parent gender, number of children, educational attainment, and socioeconomic status, mindful attention awareness remained a significant negative predictor of parenting stress (β = -0.232, t = -5.061, p < 0.001). Moreover, socioeconomic status was also found to have a significant influence on parenting stress. These results suggest that enhancing parents' mindful attention awareness may help alleviate parenting stress, improve parent–child relationships, and foster overall family functioning. Theoretically, this study expands the cross-cultural understanding of the relationship between mindful attention awareness and parenting stress, while practically, it provides valuable insights for developing targeted interventions to support parents. Future research should consider employing longitudinal designs and incorporating multiple measurement methods to further explore the mechanisms underlying mindful attention awareness in diverse parenting contexts.