Mindful parenting and grit among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of basic psychological needs and the moderating role of mindfulness

• Published in: Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) N.J.), 2024-11, Vol.43 (41), p.32058-32067
• Main Authors: Li, Zi-Wei, Peng, Xian-Tao, Wang, Jin-Hong, Tan, Hui-Juan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Mindfulness; Personality traits; Psychology; Social Sciences; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1046-1310; 1936-4733
• DOI: 10.1007/s12144-024-06592-3

The concept of “grit” is one of the most commonly mentioned and praised positive mental qualities in daily life. Although previous research has shown a strong relationship between adolescent grit and parenting styles, there is a gap in the relationship between mindful parenting and adolescent grit. This study hypothesises that mindful parenting may be a beneficial environment in the development of adolescent grit, and that this direct effect may be influenced by changes in the level of adolescent personality traits, for example, basic psychological needs and mindfulness. To test these hypotheses, a total of 804 adolescents from Hubei Province, China completed questionnaires on mindful parenting, basic psychological needs, mindfulness, and grit. The results indicated that mindful parenting positively predicts adolescents grit, mediated by basic psychological needs. The study also found the associations between mindful parenting and adolescent grit and basic psychological needs can both be moderated by mindfulness in senior high school. The effects of mindful parenting on adolescents grit and basic psychological needs were stronger for a high lever of mindfulness compared to a low lever of mindfulness. These findings not only provide new parenting ideas for developing grit in adolescents, but also highlight the significant impact of individual personality traits on adolescent grit.