Regulation of Stress Physiology While Parenting: a Randomized Micro-trial of Loving-Kindness Meditation on Parenting and Salivary Alpha Amylase.
Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research April 1, 2025 Emily B Reilly 1 citation
Sensitive parenting early in life supports healthy development and depends on the parent's compassion and physiological regulation. Loving-kindness meditations (LKM) increase compassion and reduce stress responses, potentially aiding sensitive parenting. In this study, 136 parents of toddlers were randomly assigned to listen to a LKM, focused-imagery audio, or podcast before a play-based interaction. LKM did not significantly increase parent sensitivity, though sensitivity varied little in the sample. However, LKM affected salivary alpha amylase activity: parents in the LKM group gradually decreased sympathetic activity across the session, while the podcast group showed increased levels after the interaction. Engaging in compassion and self-compassion can change stress physiology in parents of toddlers.