Effectiveness of mindfulness parent training on parenting stress and children's ADHD-related behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Clara S C Lee, Ka-Hin Ng, Phyllis C K Chan and 1 others
PMID 35847187WHAT IT FOUND
Mindfulness parent training showed small-to-large reductions in parenting stress and ADHD symptoms within treatment groups.
However, when compared directly to active controls, effects were inconsistent and based on few studies. Evidence is preliminary due to high risk of bias and publication bias.
Key findings
01Within-group analyses showed mindfulness parent training had small-to-large effects on reducing parenting stress, children's problem behaviors, and ADHD symptoms from pre- to post-treatment.
02Between-group comparisons against active controls yielded inconsistent results for parenting stress, with some studies favoring mindfulness training and one favoring the control, and were based on a small number of studies.
03The review found preliminary support but noted that mindfulness parent training cannot currently be recommended as a stand-alone intervention due to methodological limitations and lack of direct comparison with standard evidence-based parent training.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
High risk of bias in included studies: Most randomized trials had high risk of bias, and non-randomized trials had serious or critical risk. Publication bias: Asymmetrical funnel plots and Egger’s tests indicated significant publication bias in several analyses, suggesting small negative studies may be missing. Small number of studies for key comparisons: Between-group analyses relied on very few studies (n = 2 or 3), making results unstable and prone to overestimation. Heterogeneity: Significant variation in effect sizes across studies (I² > 90% in some analyses) makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the average effect. Lack of blinding: Parents were not blinded to their children’s treatment status, which may have influenced parent-reported outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the large within-group effect sizes as proof of efficacy compared to standard care. These effects may reflect natural fluctuation, regression to the mean, or expectation bias, especially given the high risk of bias and publication bias. The between-group evidence is inconsistent and insufficient to recommend mindfulness parent training over established behavioral parent training.