Abstract
Numerous research studies link mindfulness training to improved empathy. However, few studies focus on the mediating factors of empathy. This work has three objectives: (a) to analyze the possible mediation of mindfulness as a feature in this relation, (b) to analyze the mindfulness factors that mediate in the increase of empathy and (c) to analyze the moderating role of gender. The sample was composed of 246 Spanish-speaking university students (M = 24.08 years, SD = 8.43). The instruments used were the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ). For data analysis, the indirect effect was calculated using 10000 bootstrap samples for the bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals (BCI). The improvement of empathy is mediated by the changes in mindfulness trait (B = 0.233, p < 0.001), disappearing in the presence of this mediator, the direct effect of mindfulness practice on empathy (B = 0.161, p = 0.394). We did not find a differential functioning of this mediation according to gender. Observing and describing are the FFMQ factors that mediate significantly between mindfulness practice and empathy.
Highlights
Mindfulness has experienced a boom in recent years with interventions that have proven effective in different contexts and ages (Coholic and Eys, 2015; Ted Ng et al, 2016; Zeng et al, 2017)
Viciana et al (2018) in their review of scientific production in mindfulness for the decade 2007–2017 in the Web of Science, report a rather scarce production with respect to studies that focus on mindfulness within the university environment
Eisenberg and Lennon (1983) in an attempt to replicate these results found that women obtained higher scores when empathy was assessed through a questionnaire, but found no differences when physiological correlates or facial gestures were measured
Summary
Mindfulness has experienced a boom in recent years with interventions that have proven effective in different contexts and ages (Coholic and Eys, 2015; Ted Ng et al, 2016; Zeng et al, 2017). Viciana et al (2018) in their review of scientific production in mindfulness for the decade 2007–2017 in the Web of Science, report a rather scarce production with respect to studies that focus on mindfulness within the university environment. They point out that, of the total of 652 articles in any language, only 96 would be related to the field of education. The research on mindfulness in the university environment is reduced to 24 articles, with a total sample of 4119 students
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