Background
Research on mindfulness suggests that it may contribute to coping in challenging times, and more specifically – buffer negative psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic, such as anxiety and depression. In the present study we focused on a specific group that had to cope with a major change during the pandemic – parents. Specifically, we focused on the coping of mothers during the first lockdown in Israel (including harsh mobility and social restrictions).
Hypotheses:
Based on the accumulated literature of mindfulness effects on relationship-related capacities and coping capacities, we hypothesized that mindfulness practice among mothers would buffer potential negative effects of the lockdown, on mothers’ wellbeing and relationships with their children.
Sample: 109 Israeli mothers who were caring for their children during the first nation-wide lockdown in Israel.
Design: Participants completed online questionnaires of the study variables, and were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: The experimental group received 10-minutes daily mindfulness instructions. The active control group listened daily to 10 minutes of relaxing music. The passive control group was not instructed to do anything. The daily interventions continued for two weeks, after which participants completed the questionnaires again.
Results: Unexpectedly, mothers in all three groups showed improvement in their relationships with their children, wellbeing, decentering, compassion, strength-use, and sense of meaning after two weeks. Furthermore, we found no significant differences between the groups.
Scientific Contribution:
The unexpected results suggest that the lockdown itself may have positively impacted mothers, at least in the first few weeks (when the measurements were taken). The lockdown may have enabled spending more quality time with children and close family, decreased external life demands, and increased partners’ availability. The findings point to the potential positive effects of the pandemic and its consequences, and highlights the need for more research on such effects.