Associations between Mindfulness Facets and PTSD Symptom Severity in Psychiatric Inpatients

Abstract

The current study concurrently examined associations of mindfulness facets with PTSD symptom severity and symptom cluster severity in a trauma-exposed, psychiatric inpatient sample. Participants included 152 psychiatric inpatients (42.1% women; mage = 33.86, SD = 11.29), who reported a history of trauma exposure consistent with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—Fifth Edition (DSM-5) PTSD Criterion A. A cross-sectional design was used to determine associations between mindfulness facets and PTSD symptom severity and symptom cluster severity. Participants completed questionnaires regarding mindfulness and PTSD symptomatology. The data were analyzed at the bivariate level as well as multivariate level through hierarchical linear regression analyses. Results revealed that the mindfulness facets of acting with awareness (β = − 0.34, p < 0.001), non-judging of inner experience (β = − 0.34, p < 0.001), and non-reactivity to inner experience (β = 0.34, p < 0.001) demonstrated significant, incremental negative associations with total PTSD symptom severity, as well as PTSD intrusions (p’s < 0.05) and negative alterations in cognitions and mood (p’s < 0.05) symptom clusters, above and beyond covariates. Covariates included total number of traumatic life events and number of psychiatric diagnoses. This study investigated associations between mindfulness facets and PTSD symptom severity in acute care, psychiatric inpatients. Mindfulness may hold significant clinical utility for trauma-exposed psychiatric inpatients with varying levels of PTSD symptom severity. Research implications and future directions are discussed.