When the capacity to be alone is associated with psychological distress among Chinese adolescents: Individuals with low mindfulness or high rumination may suffer more by their capacity to be alone

Abstract

Despite the capacity to be alone has been considered as a sign of maturity and inner peace for human beings, the contextual factors underlying the relation between the capacity to be alone and psychological distress remain unclear. This study speculated that the direct effect of the capacity to be alone on psychological distress may vary with the levels of individuals’ personality characteristics, such as rumination and mindfulness. To test these hypotheses, 815 middle school students were recruited to complete the self-report questionnaires measuring their capacity to be alone, psychological distress, ruminative responses and mindfulness. The results indicated that the capacity to be alone was positively associated with psychological distress. This direct effect could be moderated by rumination and mindfulness as well as the combined effect of these two. The direct effect was stronger for adolescents with high rumination and low mindfulness than those with low rumination and high mindfulness. These findings enrich our understanding of when or for whom the capacity to be alone is correlated with psychological distress. Moreover, these findings highlight the need to take individuals’ personality characteristics into account to reveal the relation between the capacity to be alone and psychological distress more accurately.