Dispositional Mindfulness Research Articles

The Inherent Shield: Learning-Based Stress Symptoms Among People Diagnosed with Specific Learning Disability and Its Relationship with Dispositional Mindfulness

Background: Past research suggests that individuals with learning disabilities experience higher levels of emotional difficulties. Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationships between specific learning disabilities (SLDs) and learning-based stress symptoms (LBSSs). Further, this study examines whether dispositional mindfulness (DM) can be used as a moderating factor for these symptoms resulting from the same stressful learning experience. Methods: The sample consisted of 133 participants (73 male) aged 23–44 years (M = 34.41; SD = 9.69). In this sample, 56 reported that they have been officially diagnosed with a SLD. Participants completed an online survey comprising a demographics questionnaire, self-report SLD questionnaire, school learning-based stress symptoms, and five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ-24). Results: Results revealed that participants with an SLD had higher levels of LBSSs compared to the general population. Furthermore, findings revealed that DM significantly predicts LBSS levels. Conclusions: The present study provides further evidence on the impact of learning experiences on stress symptoms among individuals with SLDs, and this phenomenon we have termed as “learning-based stress symptoms”. Additionally, our findings introduce novel evidence that DM may influence the relationship between LBSSs and SLDs, suggesting that a high level of DM can serve as a protective factor against these learning-based stress symptoms.

Mindfulness buffers the association of pain with depression and anxiety among people with spinal cord injury: A cross-sectional study.

Chronic pain is common among people with spinal cord injury (PwSCI) and impacts mental health (MH). Mindfulness may buffer the association of pain with MH, but few studies have examined this among PwSCI. This study examines the extent to which mindfulness moderates the association of pain intensity with MH among PwSCI. PwSCI (N = 64) and chronic pain provided demographic and disability information, ratings of pain intensity (0-10 Numeric Rating Scale), pain interference, depression (eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-8]), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7]), positive affect/wellbeing (SCI-QOL Positive Affect and Well-Being Short Form [PAWB-SF]), stress (Perceived Stress Scale-4 [PSS-4]), and mindfulness (15-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ-15]) at the time of their enrollment in a randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness intervention. The present, cross-sectional study used baseline data. Pain intensity, pain interference, mindfulness (FFMQ-15), the Pain Intensity × FFMQ-15 interaction, and relevant covariates were regressed on the four outcome measures (PHQ-8, GAD-7, PAWB-SF, and PSS-4). There was a significant Pain Intensity × FFMQ-15 interaction effect on PHQ-8 (p = .008) and GAD-7 (p = .021), such that mindfulness buffered the positive relation of pain intensity with depression and anxiety. Additionally, there was a significant Pain Intensity × FFMQ-15 interaction effect on PAWB-SF (p = .032), but contrary to the hypothesis, mindfulness intensified a positive relation between pain intensity and positive affect/well-being. Dispositional mindfulness may buffer the association of pain intensity with depression and anxiety. Examining interventions to enhance mindfulness among PwSCI is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal: the mediating role of emotional and interoceptive awareness.

Mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal have been recognized as two useful ways to regulate emotions. The former tends to cultivate an attitude of being open and accepting of emotional events; whereas the latter involves a top-down process of re-interpreting emotional events. However, it is unclear how mindfulness influences cognitive reappraisal. Hence, the current study mainly addressed this research issue by exploring the mediating role of emotional and interoceptive awareness. 372 participants were asked to report dispositional mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, emotional awareness, and interoceptive awareness by means of corresponding questionnaires. First, we performed the Pearson Correlations among the four factors, then assessed the mediating role of emotional awareness and interoceptive awareness in the link between mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal in separated models. Last, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the link when both emotional and interoceptive awareness acted as the mediating variables. Results showed that mindfulness was negatively correlated with cognitive reappraisal, emotional awareness, and interoceptive awareness; whereas emotional awareness, interoceptive awareness, and cognitive reappraisal were positively correlated with each other. Moreover, increased mindfulness had a significantly negative effect on cognitive reappraisal, by reducing emotional and interoceptive awareness separately or successively. Except for the No-worrying factor, the remaining seven factors of interoceptive awareness were significantly loaded onto the latent variable. The result reveals the negative relationship between mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal. This link is mediated by one's emotional awareness and interoceptive awareness independently or successively, which may reflect the intensity of externally-emotional reactivity that signify the need to regulate emotions by means of cognitive reappraisal.

Intervention to Improve Well-Being, Nutrition, and Physical Activity in Adults: Experimental Study.

Mindfulness improves well-being, improves emotional regulation, reduces impulses to eat, and is linked to increased physical activity. Mindfulness interventions usually focus on 1 aspect but do not offer an approach to holistically improving lifestyle. This study aims to address this gap by designing and evaluating a holistic mindfulness intervention. Committing to a 12-week intervention with 2-hour sessions without knowing whether you will enjoy it can be a hindrance for someone completely unfamiliar with mindfulness. For this reason, we decided to design a mindfulness intervention with short sessions over a reduced number of weeks. The aim is to enable novices to discover different aspects of mindfulness while at the same time offering a satisfactory practice for people who are already practicing mindfulness. We designed and evaluated a web-based mindfulness intervention in 5 sessions of 5 to 10 minutes each on well-being, diet, and physical activity to support a healthier lifestyle. The first 2 sessions focus on formal mindfulness meditation to enable novices to discover mindfulness and its main principles. Then there are 2 sessions about food. The first session about food aims to develop a sense of satisfaction with the food we eat and to focus our attention on new sensations. The second session about food aims to develop the ability to resist the lure of unhealthy foods. Finally, there is a session on physical activity. The aim is to develop a particular awareness of the body during movement, to increase satisfaction with physical activity, and to develop regular exercise. In total, 32 participants completed the intervention. After the intervention, we observed decreases in negative affect, anxiety, and emotional distress, and an increase in dispositional mindfulness. There was no effect on reported healthy eating habits and physical activity habits. Few participants repeated the exercises as recommended. The majority of our participants were new to mindfulness. The majority of our participants reported being satisfied with the different sessions. A few minor difficulties were mentioned, mainly related to the environment in which the participants carried out the sessions. Only 1 session was less satisfactory for one-third of the participants. The session on resistance to unhealthy foods was formulated too strictly and the idea of banning certain foods was a hindrance for one-third of the participants. A reformulation is needed. The mindfulness exercises were well accepted and promoted a state of mindfulness. It would be interesting to provide easier technical access to the exercises via a mobile app so that they can be repeated easily.

The Role of Dispositional Mindfulness and Flow in Predicting Problematic Video Game Use

The Role of Dispositional Mindfulness and Flow in Predicting Problematic Video Game Use

When sexual distress shares the bed: the role of sexual self-esteem in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and sexual distress in sex therapy patients.

Sexual distress (eg, feeling distressed, unhappy, frustrated, stressed, dissatisfied, or bothered about their sexuality) is a central concern reported by patients seeking sex therapy, and might be related to sexual self-esteem and mindfulness disposition, yet research is needed to examine the links among those variables within the specific population of patients seeking therapy. This study aimed to examine the indirect role of sexual self-esteem in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and sexual distress. The study was conducted among 696 patients undergoing sexual therapy (mean age 34.19 ± 11.21 years, age range 18-78years). Participants identified as women (57.3%), men (38.5%), or nonbinary (4.2%). They completed self-report questionnaires assessing dispositional mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), sexual self-esteem (Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire), and sexual distress (Sexual Distress Scale-Revised), during their first few sessions (ie, first to third sessions [the assessment phase]). Sexual distress was the main outcome, as measured with the Sexual Distress Scale-Revised. Results indicated that 54% (n = 376) of patients reported elevated sexual distress based on the questionnaire threshold score. Path analyses indicated an indirect effect in which higher dispositional mindfulness was associated with higher levels of sexual self-esteem, which in turn was associated with lower sexual distress. Results also highlighted that specific facets of mindfulness were related to higher sexual self-esteem (ie, describing, and nonreacting) and lower sexual distress (ie, nonjudgment and acting with awareness). The integrative model explained 23% of the variance of sexual distress scores. Findings suggest that addressing specifically sexual self-esteem and mindfulness may represent relevant clinical avenues to reduce sexual distress among sex therapy patients. Strengths of this study include the novel examination of the role of sexual self-esteem in the link between mindfulness disposition and sexual distress in a large clinical sample of patients seeking sex therapy. Limitations includes reliance on patient self-report and a cross-sectional design that limit conclusion regarding causality. This study makes a valuable contribution to the existing body of research highlighting the pivotal roles of sexual self-esteem in the link between dispositional mindfulness and reduced sexual distress among adults undergoing sex therapy, allowing us to identify potential targets of intervention.

Dispositional mindfulness and the nonjudgmental regard towards others: the role on sexual prejudice and transphobia among cisgender heterosexual people

Although several studies examined the relationship between high levels of dispositional mindfulness and low scores of prejudices referred to various social groups, the findings have sometimes been inconsistent. Such inconsistency may be explained by the fact that much research has relied exclusively on self-oriented dispositional mindfulness as predictor of intergroup biases, thus underestimating the role of the nonjudgmental regard towards others. In the current study, we explored the associations between dispositional mindfulness related to the self, Nonjudgmental Regard towards Others (NRO), sexual prejudice, genderism/transphobia and gender bashing. We expected that higher scores on both dimensions of NRO traits (i.e. Ideological Acceptance and Emotion Acceptance) would be negatively associated with sexual prejudice, genderism/transphobia and gender bashing over mindful traits related to the self. 911 cis-heterosexual participants recruited through Prolific completed the online questionnaire. Dominance analyses were conducted to test our hypotheses. The results partially confirmed the predictions. NRO Emotion Acceptance was the best predictor of sexual prejudice, genderism/transphobia and gender bashing among the mindful traits, above socio-anagraphics, religiosity, political, and ideological variables. However, NRO Ideological Acceptance was not associated with the measures of prejudice. These results suggest that having a nonjudgmental attitude toward others’ emotions bay be a better factor in reducing prejudice. Limitations, future research directions, and social implications are discussed.

Benefits of dispositional mindfulness among adolescents: relationship with academic emotions and academic engagement

Benefits of dispositional mindfulness among adolescents: relationship with academic emotions and academic engagement

Slovenian validation of the Capacity to Love Inventory: associations with clinical measures and mindfulness.

The main purpose of the present study was to validate the Slovenian version of the 41- item Capacity to Love Inventory (CTL-I). Based on psychoanalytic theory, limitations to capacity to love are expected to be associated with personality dysfunction and disintegration as well as fundamental mental capacities such as self-reflection and self-awareness. To examine these assumptions, a sample of 552 Slovenian non-clinical individuals were recruited through academic networks. The construct validity of the CTL-I was assessed using a confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity of the CTL-I and its subscales was established against IPO-16, PID-5 BF, MAAS. Our findings show that the Slovenian version of the CTL-I replicated the six-factor structure, exhibiting good model fit as well as satisfactory internal consistency of all subscales. In line with expectations, capacity to love was found to be inversely associated with dysfunctional personality traits and structural personality disturbances. Accordingly, higher dispositional mindfulness was coherently associated with all domains of CTL-I. The results add to the growing evidence for the cross-cultural validity and sound psychometric properties of CTL-I, presented here in the Slovenian version. Our findings also point to the significance of dispositional mindfulness both in relation to capacity to love as well as mental health.

Gaming, executive functioning and mindfulness: a comparative exploratory study between League of Legends gamers and non-gamers

Previous studies have shown that playing League of Legends (LoL) improves certain abilities and trainable skills. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship and predictive value of executive functioning in dispositional mindfulness in a sample composed of LoL gamers and non-gamers. The results revealed that the gamers had less ability to focus on present-moment activities in their daily lives, were more judgmental in their inner experience, and were less disposed to proceed with mindfulness than were the non-gamers. The gamers showed greater tendency toward presenting problems related to emotional control, executive control, and a possible development of prefrontal symptoms. We concluded that the video game LoL requires the use of many cognitive abilities, including a high demand on the user's executive functions, a factor that seems to interfere with one’s capacity for mindfulness away from the screen. Gamers may therefore experience a possible vulnerability to presenting prefrontal symptoms, and greater likelihood of their development.

Is Mindfulness a Double-Edged Sword? Associations With Climate Anxiety and Pro-Environmental Behavior

ObjectivesAt a time of growing global concern about climate change, mindfulness has been put forward as a potential tool to alleviate climate anxiety and engage people with environmental issues. However, climate anxiety is not a pathology to treat. Instead, climate anxiety is increasingly understood as reflecting a deep engagement with environmental concerns that motivates pro-environmental action. We question whether some aspects of mindfulness may be related to lower climate anxiety that flows into lower pro-environmental behavior.MethodWe surveyed people living in Australia (n = 287) about their experiences of dispositional mindfulness, climate anxiety, anticipatory solastalgia (distress about future environmental losses), and their pro-environmental behavior.ResultsIn a mediation analysis, we identified that mindfulness has a potential anxiolytic effect on climate anxiety, specifically acting with awareness, nonreactive decentering, and accepting nonjudgmental attitude related to lower scores on climate anxiety facets. Conversely, both greater awareness of internal and external experiences were related to greater climate anxiety. In its association with lower climate anxiety, acting with awareness also related indirectly to lower engagement in pro-climate collective action behavior. Awareness of external experiences related to higher anticipatory solastalgia and in turn greater engagement in collective action and personal pro-environmental behaviors.ConclusionsOverall, the current study adds to a growing body of literature that highlights the nuanced relationships between mindfulness, affect, and pro-environmental behavior. It specifically raises the question of whether greater mindful emotion regulation and meta-awareness might reduce individuals’ likelihood of pro-environmental action, potentially by removing the negative affective motivator. In contrast, greater awareness of experiences might increase pro-environmental behavior by increasing experienced negative affect.PreregistrationThe study was not preregistered.

Harsh Parenting Reduces Self-Esteem of Adolescents via the Mediation of Interpersonal Sensitivity: The Modulating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of self-esteem, but for many adolescents, self-esteem is compromised by harsh parenting disciplines which are still heavily used. Research into the mechanisms underlying adolescent self-esteem and the strategies that boost self-esteem thus has become very important. Based on the sociometric theory of self-esteem and the attachment theory, the current study explores the role of interpersonal sensitivity and dispositional mindfulness in the effect of harsh parenting on adolescents’ self-esteem. Questionnaire survey on 1320 Chinese adolescents showed that the detrimental effect of harsh parenting could be mediated by interpersonal sensitivity, and this mediation effect was moderated by dispositional mindfulness, participants with higher dispositional mindfulness showed stronger mediation effect than those with lower dispositional mindfulness. Our findings highlight the impact of harsh parenting and the role of interpersonal sensitivity in shaping adolescents’ self-esteem, and suggest the feasibility of mindful intervention programs that take interpersonal sensitivity into account when building the self-worth of adolescents.

Harsh Parenting Reduces Self-Esteem of Adolescents via the Mediation of Interpersonal Sensitivity: The Modulating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness

Harsh Parenting Reduces Self-Esteem of Adolescents via the Mediation of Interpersonal Sensitivity: The Modulating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness

The mediating role of mindfulness and emotion regulation in the relationship between teacher self-compassion and work engagement among EFL teachers: A serial mediation model

This study investigates the role of self-compassion in fostering work engagement among English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, employing a serial mediation model that incorporates mindfulness and emotion regulation as potential mediating variables. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, the researchers examined self-reported data from 322 EFL teachers in Iran. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling strategy, reaching out to directors of private language institutes across various districts who then distributed the survey to their teachers. Standardized measures were used to assess self-compassion, dispositional mindfulness, and emotion regulation strategies. The findings provide robust support for the hypothesized model, revealing a significant positive association between self-compassion and work engagement, partially mediated by both mindfulness and emotion regulation. These results suggest that cultivating self-compassion among EFL teachers may be a valuable strategy to enhance their overall well-being and promote a more engaged and fulfilling work experience. The study contributes to the advancement of knowledge regarding teacher well-being and offers practical implications for the development of interventions targeting self-compassion, mindfulness, and emotion regulation within educational settings.

Maternal interpretation of infant emotions related to mothers’ mindfulness and mother-infant stress

ABSTRACT We aimed to identify maternal characteristics predicting interpretation of infant emotions, as well as relations between such interpretations and mother-infant stress. Specifically, we investigated (1) prospective associations between maternal dispositional mindfulness and interpretation of infant emotions, and (2) concurrent associations between maternal interpretation of infant emotions and mothers’ and infants’ cortisol during a dyadic stressor in a non-clinical community sample (n = 78) of mother-infant dyads. Mothers completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire at 3 months postnatal, and the IFEEL Picture infant emotion interpretation task at 6 months postnatal. At 6-months, mother-infant dyads completed the Face-to-Face Still Face paradigm, and physiological stress was assessed via salivary cortisol. Regression analyses revealed significant links between aspects of maternal mindfulness – specifically, Observing, Describing, and Acting with Awareness facets – and infant emotion interpretation; more mindful mothers’ emotion ratings were less negatively biased and covered the full spectrum of infant emotions, congruent with the range of responses given by a low-risk reference sample. In turn, less negativity bias and greater interpretive congruence predicted lower infant and mother cortisol during the stress session, with effects small-medium in size. Findings highlight the potential role of maternal interpretation of infant emotions in mindful parenting.

Self-Compassion, Dispositional Mindfulness, and Parenting Stress: The Mediating role of Mindful Parenting

The purpose of this study is to examine whether mindful parenting mediates the relationship between self-compassion, dispositional mindfulness, and parenting stress. A total of 208 parents participated, with 156 being female and 52 being male. Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Parenting Stress Scale, and the Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (MIPQ). The findings revealed that mindfulness in parenting plays a mediating role between self-compassion, dispositional mindfulness, and parenting stress. These results indicate that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion may facilitate the practice of mindful parenting, potentially leading to a corresponding reduction in parenting-related stress. These findings underscore the importance of actively addressing and alleviating parenting stress as a crucial factor in fostering the development of self-compassion, mindfulness, and the application of mindful parenting.

Dispositional mindfulness and mental health: Exploring the interplay of decentering, non-attachment, emotion regulation difficulties and affectivity as implicated mechanisms

Dispositional mindfulness and mental health: Exploring the interplay of decentering, non-attachment, emotion regulation difficulties and affectivity as implicated mechanisms

Mindfulness in Orthopedic Rehabilitation: Can the Use of a Mindfulness Diary Positively Influence the Therapeutic Outcome of Orthopedic Rehabilitation?

ObjectivesMindfulness is a proven therapeutic practice for reducing anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, which are factors that influence the success of hip/knee replacement surgery. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of mindfulness bibliotherapy in rehabilitation on anxiety, depression, and health status. The objective was to determine whether there is a connection between the level of mindfulness before rehabilitation and the health status after rehabilitation.MethodNinety-three patients (Mage = 63.34, SD = 10.49) from an outpatient rehabilitation clinic participated in the study. Forty-three patients were included in the mindfulness bibliotherapy group, and 45 were included in the waitlist control group. Anxiety, depression (both measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), quality of life (measured with the SF-36), and walking ability (measured with the Timed “Up and Go”-Test), as well as orthopedic measurements and dispositional mindfulness, were measured before and after the intervention. A follow-up measurement was carried out 4 weeks after the end of rehabilitation.ResultsA significant interaction effect between test time (pre- and post-test) and group (mindfulness bibliotherapy and waitlist control group) was detected for the measurement of Anxiety. The Anxiety score decreased in the intervention group from the pre-test to the post-test and the follow-up. In addition, the five subscales of dispositional mindfulness, age, and gender predicted mental health status (measured with the mental health scale of the SF-36) at the end of rehabilitation, F(7, 85) = 2.52, p = 0.021, even though no individual predictor reached significance.ConclusionsMindfulness diary practice can be a helpful therapy approach to support patients and to regain the goal of full capacity for working life and everyday life after surgery. Further studies need to investigate more intensively the relationships between the mode of action of mindfulness interventions in the setting of orthopedic rehabilitation.PreregistrationThis study was preregistered in OSF (https://osf.io/4tmwq/).

Perceived Stress Levels and Intuitive Eating Scores as a Function of Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological Flexibility in Bariatric Surgery Patients

Perceived Stress Levels and Intuitive Eating Scores as a Function of Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological Flexibility in Bariatric Surgery Patients

Cognitive distortions as a mediator of the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and psychological distress among college students

Objective This study examined the mediating role of cognitive distortions (CDs) in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness (DM) and psychological distress, and considered gender as a potential moderator of these mediation models. Participants Four hundred and forty-six college students (63.9% female; M = 20.52 years; 87.4% undergraduate, 12.6% graduate level) participated. Methods Self-report measures of DM, CDs, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress were completed with data collected from April to October of 2020. Results Females scored significantly higher than males on anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and CDs. CDs partially mediated the relationship between DM and all psychological distress variables. Gender moderated the mediation model predicting anxiety, with the indirect effect of DM on anxiety via CDs being stronger for females than males. Conclusion Results support CDs as a possible mechanism underlying the association between DM and psychological distress with implications for targeting cognitive patterns in mindfulness-based interventions with college students.