Psychological Inflexibility Mediates the Relationship between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress in Peruvian Parents with School Age Children

Abstract Objective: The present research proposed a mediation model to examine the relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress, focusing on the mediating role of psychological inflexibility in parents of school-aged children. Methods: This cross-sectional explanatory study included 364 parents. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were utilized. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in R Studio 4.4.0, following a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to assess the internal structure of the scales. Reliability was evaluated using alpha and omega coefficients. Results: The results demonstrated a partial mediation between mindfulness and psychological distress through psychological inflexibility (mediation effect a*b = -.27, p < .001). Furthermore, the model accounted for 58% of the variance in psychological distress (R² = .58). Conclusion: Reducing psychological distress in parents largely depends on decreasing psychological inflexibility and enhancing mindfulness techniques. This finding underscores the importance of interventions grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the psychological processes underlying the relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress.