Parent's psychological flexibility: Associations with parenting and child psychosocial well-being

Recent research has started to examine psychological flexibility both in normative samples and within the family context. The current study aimed to extend this research by testing a model examining associations between general psychological flexibility, psychological flexibility specific to the parenting role, adaptive parenting practices, and child internalizing and externalizing problems across three developmental stages. Participants (N=615; 55% female) were parents of children in young childhood (3–7 years; n=210), middle childhood (8–12 years; n=200), and adolescence (13–17 years; n=205). Parents reported on their general psychological flexibility, parenting-specific psychological flexibility, parenting practices, and their child's or adolescent's internalizing and/or externalizing problems. Findings were consistent across child age groups and demonstrated that higher levels of parenting-specific psychological flexibility were indirectly related to lower levels of youth internalizing and externalizing problems through adaptive parenting practices. Implications for promotion of well-being within the family context among normative samples are discussed.