The role of trait mindfulness in shaping the perception of stress, including its role as a moderator or mediator of the effects of personality

Abstract

Stress reduction techniques, such as mindfulness, have been gaining popularity over the last few decades with research focus shifting toward understanding the factors that contribute to why certain individuals are more likely to benefit from stress reduction techniques compared to others. Mindfulness and personality traits are two factors that have been examined to help explain some of the individual differences in the perception of stress. Thus, the present study aimed to increase our understanding of the relationships between personality traits, mindfulness, and perceived stress. A total of 266 adults (70 % female; age range: 18–64 years; age (M ± SD): 34 ± 13) participated an online survey. A hierarchical multiple regression indicated that 58 % of the variance in perceived stress was explained by personality and mindfulness. Trait mindfulness-attention significantly moderated the relationship between agreeableness and perceived stress. Effect size calculations showed that 57 % of the variation in perceived stress was attributed to neuroticism mediated by mindfulness, attention, and acceptance. Furthermore, 51 % of the variance in perceived stress was attributed to agreeableness mediated by mindfulness (attention and acceptance).