Relationship of Behavioral Problems and Social Skills of Slow-Paced Students to their Mothers' Quality of Life: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness

The present study sought to examine the relationship of behavioral problems and social skills of slow-paced students to their mothers' quality of life. This research also investigated mindfulness as a moderator in the relationship mentioned above. The study had a descriptive, correlational design. The statistical population of the study was comprised of all elementary school slow-paced students living in Golestan Province and their mothers in 2019-2020 school year. In order to draw the sample, cluster sampling method was utilized and 298 students were selected. The research instruments included the Rutter Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (1967), Matson’s Social Skills Scale (1983), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006), and World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) (1998). Data were analyzed via descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling. Results demonstrated that there was a significant, positive correlation between social skills, mindfulness, and quality of life. There was also a significant, negative association between behavioral problems and quality of life. Furthermore, the results confirmed the mediating role of mindfulness between social skills, behavioral problems and quality of life (P<0.01). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that developing social skills of slow-paced students, reducing their behavioral problems, and promoting their mothers’ mindfulness can improve the quality of life of mothers.