Background <p>Women’s increasing workforce participation has led to stress, anxiety, and strained parent-child relationships, highlighting the need for effective interventions. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a promising yet underutilized approach to improving psychological well-being and parenting quality. This study examines its impact on self-compassion and parent-child relationships among health caregivers.</p> Methods <p>A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 40 health caregivers in Masjed Soleyman, randomly assigned to intervention (<i>n</i> = 20) and control (<i>n</i> = 20) groups. The intervention group participated in eight 90-minute mindfulness-based stress reduction sessions over two months. Data were collected using the Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) before and two months after the intervention. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 27 and included paired t-tests, independent t-tests, chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.</p> Results <p>Before the intervention, no significant differences were observed between groups in stress (<i>P</i> = 0.583) or self-compassion (<i>P</i> = 0.738). Post-intervention, stress (<i>P</i> = 0.001) and self-compassion (<i>P</i> = 0.001) significantly improved in the intervention group. Parent-child relationship scores also increased significantly (<i>P</i> = 0.001).</p> Conclusion <p>MBSR effectively enhances self-compassion, reduces stress, and strengthens parent-child relationships in working mothers. By fostering mindfulness and acceptance of their parenting role, mothers improved emotional regulation and connected more positively with their children.</p> Trial registration <p>Trial Id: 85639.&#xa0;IRCT Id: <a href="https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/85639">IRCT20223065147N2</a>. Registration date: 2025-09-28.&#xa0;Membership number: 65147.503</p>