Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Payton Femali and I am a 2nd year student at Florida State University majoring in Clinical Professions. I am from Naperville, Illinois, and I am looking to attend medical school post-grad and pursue a career in pediatrics. I am incredibly interested in psychology research and am eager to share some of the projects I have been working on.

Mindfulness and Parental Well-Being: Gender differences on parental mental health

Abstract

The current study focuses on how parental stress and mindful parenting impact mom and dad’s well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) and mental health (i.e., anxiety and depression). Through the completion of an anonymous online survey, this study centers on data from biological, adoptive, step, and foster mothers and fathers with at least one child under the age of 18. The survey includes items that assess demographics such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and marital status, as well as established measures that assess parents’ mental health, well-being, and mindful parenting practices. Respondents are also compensated for their cooperation, allowing them to enter their email in a separate survey for entry into 10 separate raffles for $25 each. After 150 respondents completed the survey, a statistical analysis using SPSS was run to analyze associations found within the data. The primary aim of the current study is to consider how parenting stress and mindful parenting predict the mental health and well-being of parents. The associations between the demographics, predictor, and outcome variables will also be examined to determine the positive and negative relationships among the study variables, as well as any statistical differences between the results of mothers and fathers. The data from this study can be utilized to further understand the stress and mental health impacts experienced by parents and guardians, as well as the role that mindful parenting plays in alleviating these symptoms.

Keywords: Mindfulness, mental health, well-being