Transforming Schema-Driven Parenting Through Mindfulness Intervention: A Mixed-Methods Study

Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of mindful parenting (MP) in modifying schema-driven parenting modes. Methods: Seventy-eight Chinese parents with parenting stress and adverse childhood experiences were randomly assigned to an 8-week MP intervention or a waitlist control group. Maladaptive schemas, parenting stress, and MP were assessed pre- and postintervention. Results: MP participants showed significant within-group reductions in total maladaptive schemas (d = 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.04, 0.75]) and the Enmeshment subscale (d = 0.41, 95% CI [0.05, 0.76]). Compared with controls, they also showed greater decreases in parenting stress (d = 0.74, 95% CI [0.27, 1.20]) and improved emotional awareness (d =0.54, 95% CI [0.13, 0.95]). Qualitative findings showed that schema work influenced parenting by increasing awareness of schema activation, improving self-regulation, and fostering more adaptive responses to children. Discussion: MP appears to improve parent–child interactions by disrupting dysfunctional schema transmission.