Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early childhood education (ECE) caregivers experience high levels of stress and increased physical and emotional work demands. Promoting mindfulness practices may be an acceptable and feasible strategy to bolster mental health and well-being. The present study's goals were to explore the 1) perceptions and 2) cultural differences surrounding mindfulness practices and mental health among Spanish-speaking Hispanic (SSH), English-speaking Hispanic (ESH), and English-speaking non-Hispanic (ESNH) informal ECE caregivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen informal caregivers participated in semi-structured individual interviews between July 2021 and January 2022. Using NVivo12 software, an inductive, qualitative thematic content analysis was conducted to identify themes in the caregivers' discourse. RESULTS: All three groups of caregivers expressed the desire to make time for themselves, their physical health, and their mental health when discussing self-care. However, two main barriers and challenges related to mindfulness practices reported by all three caregiver groups included lack of time and frequently feeling tired after a long day of work. Other key results and suggestions for practicing mindfulness are provided. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study show that mindfulness practices among informal ECE caregivers may be deemed acceptable and considered a valuable tool to support mental health in caregiver communities.