Moderating effect of mindfulness on the relationship between anxiety and somatization symptoms in middle-aged and elderly female patients with hypertension.

Abstract

To explore the moderating effect of mindfulness on the relationship between anxiety and somatization symptoms in middle-aged and elderly female patients with hypertension and provide a foundation for the development of more effective mindfulness intervention strategies. A total of 109 middle-aged and elderly female patients with hypertension participated in this cross-sectional study from April to July 2022 and provided valid responses to the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Somatization Symptom Self-rating Scale (SSS). The moderating effect of mindfulness was determined using multiple linear regression. The participants' average scores were as follows: mindfulness: 123.86±10.49; anxiety: 7.41±3.62; and somatization symptoms: 41.2±9.44. The anxiety (P=.000) and somatization symptoms (P=.001) of participants with high mindfulness were significantly reduced. Anxiety was positively correlated with somatization symptoms (r=0.606, P=.000), while mindfulness was negatively correlated with both anxiety (r=-0.468, P=.000) and somatization symptoms (r=-0.439, P=.000). Moreover, mindfulness had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between anxiety and somatization symptoms (n=109) (B=-0.166, t=-2.125, P=.036). The effect of mindfulness on anxiety and somatization symptoms was more significant in participants with low mindfulness levels (n=56) (B=0.144, t=2.805, P=.008) than in participants with high mindfulness levels (n=53) (B=-0.037, t=-0.864, P=.393). The moderating effect analysis based on regression analysis showed that mindfulness had a significant moderating effect on anxiety and somatization symptoms, especially in participants with low mindfulness levels.