Parental mindful parenting and adolescent athletes’ social-emotional competence: a dyadic and latent profile analysis of profile-specific associations

Adolescent athletes face developmental challenges from balancing academic and sporting demands, making social-emotional competence (SEC) essential for positive development. This study examined associations between maternal and paternal mindful parenting and adolescent SEC, including potential variations across SEC profiles. Data were collected from 1,186 adolescent soccer athletes and their parents in China. Parents reported mindful and warm parenting practices, while adolescents reported SEC. Dyadic structural equation modeling examined direct, indirect, and cross-parent partner associations, and latent profile analysis identified three SEC profiles (Low, Moderate, and High). Mothers' mindful parenting was directly and indirectly associated with adolescent SEC through warm parenting, whereas fathers' mindful parenting showed only a significant indirect association. Although maternal and paternal direct effects did not differ significantly, the maternal total effect and mother-to-father partner path were significantly stronger than their paternal counterparts. Profile-specific analyses revealed significant direct associations between both parents' mindful parenting and SEC in the Low-SEC profile. In contrast, direct associations were nonsignificant in the Moderate- and High-SEC profiles, where warm parenting showed significant associations with SEC. Because SEC profiles were derived from the same construct subsequently modelled as the outcome, profile-specific coefficients reflect associations within restricted SEC ranges rather than differential causal or developmental effects. These findings highlight distinct maternal and paternal association patterns and underscore the need for longitudinal research to clarify how parenting processes relate to subsequent SEC development.