Daily Mindfulness and Depressive Symptoms Among Parents of Autistic Children: A Dynamic Structural Equation Modelling Study

Elevated depressive symptoms among parents of autistic children are well documented and associated with poorer mental health. Mindfulness has been identified as a protective factor against mental health difficulties, but its day-to-day associations with depressive symptoms in this population remain unclear. A total of 210 Chinese parents of autistic children participated in this 15-day diary study, during which they completed daily measures of mindfulness and depressive symptoms. The data were analysed using dynamic structural equation modelling. Results indicated that (1) parents' daily mindfulness and depressive symptoms exhibited autoregressive stability and showed significant negative reciprocal cross-lagged associations at the within-person level. At the between-person level, (2) higher perceived social support was associated with lower mean depressive symptoms and higher mean mindfulness, and it strengthened the negative cross-lagged effect of daily mindfulness on next-day depressive symptoms; and (3) child externalising problems were positively associated with parents' overall mean depressive symptoms and negatively associated with both parents' overall mean daily mindfulness and the autoregressive effects of daily mindfulness and depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the importance of fostering daily mindfulness within a supportive resource context and highlight the need to maintain the day-to-day persistence of mindfulness in families of autistic children with higher externalising problems.Lay AbstractParents of autistic children tended to feel fewer depressive symptoms on the day after they felt more mindful; likewise, they tended to feel less mindful the day after they felt more depressed. We asked 210 parents in China to complete a short daily questionnaire for 15 days about their daily mindfulness and depressive symptoms. We also looked at two factors that might affect day-to-day mindfulness and depressive symptoms: the level of perceived social support and children's challenging externalising behaviours directed towards parents. We focused on how parents' mindfulness and depressive symptoms shift from one day to the next to identify practical ways to improve parents' mental well-being. We found that more perceived social support was linked to a stronger next-day connection between feeling more mindful and feeling less depressed, whereas more frequent behavioural challenges were linked to more ups and downs from one day to the next in both mindfulness and mood. The findings of this work can guide researchers and practitioners to design simple, everyday actions, such as brief mindfulness moments and better support for families, that help parents feel less low from one day to the next.