Abstract
Background: The aims of the study were to establish an adjustment model to analyze the relationship among mindfulness, balanced time perspective (BTP) and psychological well-being (PWB) in college students and to explore gender differences among the variables. Method: The sample consisted of 380 college students, 220 women and 160 men, uniformly distributed according to the university’s faculties. Results: The results indicate that the synergy between mindfulness and BTP predicts the variance of PWB by 55%. Regarding gender differences, it was found that women have a greater tendency towards Past Positive than men and men a higher tendency towards Present Hedonistic than women. In addition, in the group of women, a stronger relationship was found among the variables and, consequently, a greater predictive value for PWB (58%), displaying an enhanced disposition to high PWB compared to men. Conclusions: Together, mindfulness and BTP promote optimal psychological functioning and alleviate or reduce discomfort. Thus, their promotion and training in universities is especially important given the high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students.
Highlights
The university population, being in a period of change and transition and facing high demands, represents one of the groups at the greatest risk for the development of mental health disorders and deterioration or abandonment of their academic activities [1].A high prevalence of depressive (30%) and anxious symptoms (20–23%) was reported in the Chilean university population, which could be associated with academic stress, mental exhaustion perception and inability to respond to academic demands [2,3]
The results indicate that the mindfulness overall score measured through the Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) was positively related to Future and Past Positive and negatively to Past Negative and Present Fatalistic
Regarding psychological well-being (PWB), a positive relationship was found between balanced time perspective (BTP) and PWB, showing that the greater the trend towards a balanced time profile, the greater the PWB. This finding is in line with the findings reported by García et al (2016) [48] and Zambianchi (2019) [49], where PWB and its dimensions were found to be positively related to Past Positive and Future, as well as negatively related to Past Negative and Present Fatalistic
Summary
A high prevalence of depressive (30%) and anxious symptoms (20–23%) was reported in the Chilean university population, which could be associated with academic stress, mental exhaustion perception and inability to respond to academic demands [2,3]. This prevalence was observed in other countries. Mindfulness and balanced time perspective, emerge as cultivable, psychological resources that promote well-being [5,6] and can be extremely useful for college students. Research on the comparative efficacy of preventive interventions with a time perspective is scarce [7], but the results are promising for improving mental health, and it is suggested that restoring the temporal balance may be an indicator of health in the clinical context [8]
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