Higher Levels Of Mindfulness Research Articles

The importance of mindfulness in psychosocial distress and quality of life in dermatology patients.

SummaryBackgroundMindfulness, defined as purposively and nonjudgementally paying attention in the present moment, could be used within psychosocial interventions to reduce the distress associated with social anxiety and avoidance found in many skin conditions. However, little is known about the relationship between naturally occurring levels of mindfulness and distress in dermatology patients.ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between mindfulness and psychosocial distress in a dermatological population. It was hypothesized that higher levels of mindfulness would be associated with lower levels of social anxiety, anxiety, depression and skin shame, and with better quality of life.MethodsAdult dermatology outpatients (n = 120) from one hospital completed items assessing subjective severity, skin shame, fear of negative evaluation, anxiety and depression, quality of life, and levels of mindfulness.ResultsConsidering depression, 14% reported mild, 5% moderate and 2·5% severe symptoms. For anxiety, 22% reported mild, 23% moderate and 6% severe symptoms. In addition, 33·4% reported clinically significant social anxiety. After controlling for subjective severity, mindfulness explained an additional 19% of the variance in depression, 39% in anxiety, 41% in social anxiety, 13% in skin shame and 6% in dermatological quality of life. One specific facet of mindfulness (acting with awareness) was found to be the most consistent predictor of distress.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that higher levels of mindfulness are associated with lower distress. This suggests that facilitating mindfulness may be helpful in reducing distress in dermatology patients, and the use of mindfulness techniques warrants further investigation.

Mediators of the Relationship Between Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological Well-Being in Female College Students

Mindfulness has been associated with a range of positive mental health outcomes, including psychological well-being. Less well-understood, however, are the mechanisms by which mindfulness may improve psychological health and which specific aspects of mindfulness may be associated with psychological health. The present study examined emotion regulation and thought suppression as possible mediators of the association between four components of dispositional mindfulness (i.e., describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreacting) and psychological well-being. One hundred eighty-five healthy female college students completed a series of self-report questionnaires measuring dispositional mindfulness, difficulties with emotion regulation, thought suppression, and psychological well-being. Overall, higher levels of mindfulness were associated with fewer difficulties with emotion regulation and less thought suppression, which in turn were inversely related to psychological well-being. Specifically, difficulties with emotion regulation and thought suppression together partially mediated the relationship between the acting with awareness mindfulness subscale and psychological well-being. Difficulties with emotion regulation and thought suppression together fully mediated the relationships between the describing mindfulness subscale and psychological well-being, as well as between the nonreacting mindfulness subscale and psychological well-being. These findings suggest that female college students exhibiting greater dispositional mindfulness skills demonstrate heightened emotional awareness and control, as well as a better ability to tolerate negative thoughts, skills which may improve psychological health.

Is mindfulness associated with stress and burnout among mental health professionals in Singapore?

High levels of stress and burnout have been reported among mental health professionals worldwide, including Singapore, with concerning potential implications for the quality of patient care. Mindfulness has been associated with decreased stress and burnout; however, associations between mindfulness, stress, and burnout have not been examined in Singapore. The aim of this study was to investigate whether mindfulness is associated with stress and burnout among healthcare professionals working in a mental health setting in Singapore. A total of 224 Singaporean mental health professionals completed a cross-sectional survey which included measures of: mindfulness (observe, describe, act with awareness, non-judge, and non-react), stress, and burnout (exhaustion and disengagement). Using multiple regression, significant negative associations were found between each of the mindfulness facets and: stress, exhaustion, and disengagement, while controlling for years of experience. Of the five mindfulness facets, act with awareness demonstrated the strongest negative association with all three variables. This study showed that mental health professionals in Singapore who have higher levels of mindfulness also have lower levels stress and burnout (disengagement and exhaustion). Future longitudinal research is warranted to better understand the directionality of these associations, with implications for the development of interventions aimed to reduce stress and burnout within this population.

Adolescents' Core Self-Evaluations as Mediators of the Effect of Mindfulness on Life Satisfaction

We examined the mediating role of Chinese adolescents' core self-evaluations in the relationship between mindfulness and their life satisfaction. The participants (N = 436) completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Core Self-Evaluations Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The results suggested that greater life satisfaction was associated with higher levels of mindfulness and more positive core self-evaluations, and core selfevaluations were positively correlated with life satisfaction. The results of mediation analysis suggested that core self-evaluations partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and life satisfaction of Chinese adolescents, implying that a higher level of mindfulness was correlated with more positive core self-evaluations, which were finally associated with greater life satisfaction. Together these results imply that enhancing the levels of mindfulness and encouraging positive core self-evaluations of adolescents will exert a significantly positive effect in promoting their well-being.

Exploring resilience and mindfulness as preventative factors for psychological distress burnout and secondary traumatic stress among human service professionals.

Human service professionals are concerned with the intervention and empowerment of vulnerable social populations. The human service industry is laden with employment-related stressors and emotionally demanding interactions, which can lead to deleterious effects, such as burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Little attention has been given to developing knowledge of what might enable human service workers to persist and thrive. Cultivating and sustaining resilience can buffer the impact of occupational stressors on human service professionals. One of the psychological factors associated with cultivating resilience is mindfulness. The aim of this current research is to improve our understanding of the relationship between resilience, mindfulness, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and psychological distress among human service professionals. The current study surveyed 133 human service professionals working in the fields of psychology, social work, counseling, youth and foster care work to explore the predictive relationship between resilience, mindfulness, and psychological distress. The results showed that higher levels of resilience were a significant predictor of lower levels of psychological distress, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. In addition, higher levels of mindfulness were a significant predictor of lower levels of psychological distress and burnout. The findings suggest that cultivating resilience and mindfulness in human service professionals may assist in preventing psychological distress burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Limitations of this study are discussed together with implications for future research.

Mindful Facebooking: The moderating role of mindfulness on the relationship between social media use intensity at work and burnout.

Research on the role of social media use in the workplace has gained more interest, yet little is known about personal characteristics that might influence the outcomes that employees experience when they use social media during work. This research aims to investigate the impact of the intensity of social media use at work on three aspects of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. Results from partial least squares regression found that mindfulness significantly mediated the relationship between the intensity of social media use at work on emotional exhaustion and lack of personal accomplishment. These findings suggest that using social media during work tends to increase burnout in employees who have a low level of mindfulness, but it lowers burnout in employees who have a high level of mindfulness.

Contribution of Mindfulness to Individuals' Tendency to Believe and Share Social Media Content

The objective of this research was to explore the effect of mindfulness on individuals' tendencies to believe social media content and share it without realizing the potential consequences. The sample used in this study comprised 300 participants in Bangkok, Thailand, of whom 157 were full-time employees and 143 were college students. Results from partial least squares regression analysis supports the hypothesis that individuals who exhibit higher levels of mindfulness tend to be skeptical of the validity of information to which they are exposed. In addition, skepticism is linked to a decreased tendency to believe social media content and to share content on social media. The findings further support a direct link between mindfulness and a decreased tendency to share social media content. Overall, these findings confirm the positive contribution of mindfulness as a quality that may allow individuals to question the validity of social media content before they decide to believe it and share it with others.

Gratitude and Athletes’ Life Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Life satisfaction is a critical index of well-being and is well documented in the literature as a means of protecting athletes from stress. However, minimal research has focused on the factors that contribute to life satisfaction in sports. Accordingly, we adopted the positive psychology perspective and proposed that gratitude would relate to athletes’ life satisfaction. Additionally, we further suggested that mindfulness would strengthen the relationship between gratitude and athletes’ life satisfaction. Athletes completed measurements, and the results, which indicated that athletes with higher levels of gratitude exhibited increased life satisfaction when they had higher levels of mindfulness, supported our expectations. The implications and applications are discussed in terms of mindfulness.

The Stress-Buffering Role of Mindfulness in the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Psychological Adjustment

This study examined the potential stress-buffering role of mindfulness (including dimensions of observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity) in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological adjustment (i.e., depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and dimensions of psychological well-being) in university students. A total of 481 Australian law students completed an online questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that higher levels of mindfulness were related to improved adjustment on all outcomes. In support of predictions, dispositional mindfulness buffered the effects of perceived stress on depression and anxiety. Further analyses indicated that the ability to describe experience was particularly important in mitigating the effects of stress on depression and anxiety, as was the ability to observe internal and external experiences in mitigating the effects of stress on depression and reduced life satisfaction. Interventions to increase mindfulness, including specific facets of mindfulness, are proposed as a method of protecting the psychological well-being of students confronted with university stressors.

Mindfulness and emotional regulation as sequential mediators in the relationship between attachment security and depression

Depression is a significant global health issue that has previously been associated with negative early care experiences and insecure attachment styles. This has led to much interest in identifying variables that may interrupt this relationship and prevent detrimental personal, social and economic outcomes. Recent research has indicated associations between the two seemingly distinct constructs of secure attachment and mindfulness, with similar positive outcomes. One hundred and forty eight participants completed an online survey exploring a possible sequential cognitive processing model, which predicted that higher levels of mindfulness and then emotional regulation would mediate the relationship between attachment and depression. Full mediation was found in regards to secure, preoccupied and dismissive attachment, whereas partial mediation was identified in the case of fearful attachment. The results support the possibility of an alternative cognitive processing pathway that may interrupt the association between negative early care experiences and concomitant negative mental health outcomes. Further exploration of this relationship is indicated.

Competition between Cognitive Control and Encapsulated, Unconscious Inferences: Are Aha-Experiences Special?

Competition between Cognitive Control and Encapsulated, Unconscious Inferences: Are Aha-Experiences Special?

Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms as Mediators of Trait Mindfulness and Sleep Quality in Emerging Adults

Sleep quality tends to be poor among emerging adults (ages 18–25). Poor sleep quality has short- and long-term health consequences, including decreases in cognitive function and mood and reductions in immune function. Trait mindfulness, or observing experiences without becoming emotionally aroused or passing judgment, has been linked to increased sleep quality in emerging adults, but little research attention has examined mechanisms that may explain this relationship. Because mindfulness has been associated with reductions in both anxiety and depression, and anxiety and depression are associated with more sleep disturbances, it is possible that mindfulness may operate on sleep quality through reductions in both anxiety and depressive symptoms. This study examined the links between mindfulness, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and sleep quality in 283 emerging adults. Results indicated that higher levels of mindfulness were related to better sleep quality through lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Post hoc analyses indicated that mindfulness was also associated with fewer sleep disturbances and less daytime sleep dysfunction through lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, higher levels of mindfulness were associated with longer sleep duration, better sleep efficiency, and better subjective sleep quality only through fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of mindfulness were associated with shorter sleep latency only through anxiety. Results suggest that mindfulness may be an effective tool for increasing sleep quality in emerging adults.

Intolerance of Uncertainty as a Mediator of the Relationship between Mindfulness and Health Anxiety

Health anxiety is characterized by the misinterpretation of body sensations as signs of an illness, leading to health-related worry and increased healthcare utilization. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in the treatment of severe health anxiety, yet mechanisms of this association remain unexplored. Therefore, the present investigation sought to examine the indirect effect of mindfulness on health anxiety through intolerance of uncertainty (IU) or fear of the unknown. Undergraduate psychology students completed a series of online self-report measures for course credit. Bias-corrected bootstrapping (k = 10,000 samples) was used to generate a 95 % confidence interval to test the significance of the indirect effect. There was a significant indirect effect of greater levels of mindfulness on lower levels of health anxiety through decreases in intolerance of uncertainty. Higher levels of mindfulness may lead internal experiences to be perceived as less threatening, thereby increasing one’s ability to tolerate uncertainty and decreasing the need to worry and engage in safety behaviors that maintain health anxiety.

Mindfulness, coping self-efficacy and foreign language anxiety: a mediation analysis

This study sought to explore the relationship between mindfulness, coping self-efficacy (CSE) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) among a sample of 295 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Further, the capacity of CSE in mediating the relationship between mindfulness and FLA was tested. The participants were administered self-reported questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised. The results of SEM analysis showed that higher levels of mindfulness were associated with lower levels of FLA and greater CSE. In addition, it was found that CSE could partially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and FLA. Implications are discussed.

Mindfulness, self-compassion and spiritual well-being in chronic depression

IntroductionDepression is one of the main causes of incapacity worldwide. Research has shown that mindfulness practice, self-compassion promotion, and spiritual well-being are beneficial for depressed individuals.ObjectiveAnalyze the associations between compassion, mindfulness, and spiritual well-being, during and after a therapeutic intervention (concluded less than a year ago).AimsTo determine if mindfulness, self-compassion, and spiritual well-being are predictors of depression.MethodPatients diagnosed with chronic depression were treated in a residential therapeutic community for a period of six to eight months. The 63 participants (M = 32.84, SD = 10.24, range = 15–50 years old; 32 during treatment; 31 after treatment) were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, the Questionnaire of the Five Facets of Mindfulness, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire.ResultsThere were differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, spiritual well-being and depression by sex, existence of previous psychiatric treatment, moment of the study (during versus after intervention), and depression levels. After intervention the group had higher levels of mindfulness and self-compassion (common humanity) and lower levels of over-identification, compared with group during treatment. The predictors of depression were the self-judgment dimension of the self-compassion scale and, negatively, the mindfulness dimensions of non-reactivity and non-judging, and the spiritual well-being dimension of personal well-being.ConclusionResults confirm the relationship between the study variables and depression. This reinforces the importance of intervention based on positive psychology enhancing positive areas of human experience, rather than focusing on psychological pain, weaknesses, and disabilities.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The relationships between mindfulness, sport anxiety, pessimistic attributions and flow in competitive cyclists

This research investigated a model of connecting greater mindfulness to more occurrences of flow and less sport-specific anxiety and pessimistic sport attributions in competitive cyclists. The research examined direct and indirect paths from mindfulness to the subjective state of being in flow. Indirect paths examined were through pessimistic sports attributions, sport-specific anxiety and flow conditions. Key findings were that higher levels of mindfulness were associated with more experience of flow, fewer sports-related pessimistic cognitions, and less sport-specific anxiety. Lower levels of sport-specific pessimistic attributions and sport-specific anxiety were associated with a higher frequency of experienced flow conditions. A higher frequency of flow conditions was associated with more occurrence of the subjective state of being in flow. The results support a model connecting mindfulness to flow experience through the meeting of flow conditions and through less experience of pessimism and anxiety. The results have implications for possible interventions focused upon increasing mindfulness to enhance the occurrence of flow.

Associations of Mindfulness with Glucose Regulation and Diabetes.

To evaluate whether dispositional mindfulness is associated with glucose regulation and type 2 diabetes. Study participants (N = 399) were from the New England Family Study, a prospective birth cohort, with median age 47 years. Dispositional mindfulness was assessed using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Type 2 diabetes and "normal plasma glucose" were defined using American Diabetes Association criteria. Multivariable-adjusted regression analyses demonstrated that participants with high versus low MAAS scores were significantly more likely to have normal plasma glucose levels (prevalence ratio = 1.35 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08,1.87)), and were not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes (prevalence ratio = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.38,1.79), adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, family history of diabetes and childhood socioeconomic status. Mediation analyses provided evidence of mediation via obesity and sense of control, where indirect effects were prevalence ratios (95% CI) of 1.03 (1.00,1.10) and 1.08 (1.00,1.21), respectively. Dispositional mindfulness may be associated with better glucose regulation, in part because of a lower likelihood of obesity and greater sense of control among participants with higher levels of mindfulness. These findings need to be replicated by prospective studies to establish causality and to evaluate potential implications for mindfulness-based interventions to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes.

Mindfully in Love: A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction

Mindfulness is an individual practice, where one has a heightened awareness of the present moment. An extensive research literature finds links between trait mindfulness and individual-level physical and mental health benefits. A limited but growing amount of research focuses on the association between mindfulness and romantic relationship satisfaction. Though there have been comprehensive reviews, no study has statistically tested the magnitude of the association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. Better understanding the value of this practice for relationships can serve to inform community educators and practitioners focused on promoting healthy family relationships. This study used a meta-analytic technique focused on 12 effect sizes from 10 different studies, and found that the relationship between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction was statistically significant with an overall effect size of .27. This finding suggests that higher levels of mindfulness are associated with higher levels of relationship satisfaction; therefore, educators can reasonably consider level of mindfulness as an education target.

Goal priming, public transportation habit and travel mode selection: The moderating role of trait mindfulness

Habits in travel mode occur in a stable context and create strong links between travel goals and travel modes in memory. As a consequence, priming a travel goal (i.e., going to a place) in memory increases the accessibility of the associated travel mode among habitual users of this transportation mode. We posit that individual differences in attention to present moment and experience (dispositional mindfulness construct; Brown & Ryan, 2003) could moderate the interaction between travel goal priming and habit strength. In this study, habitual vs. non-habitual users of a subway line were nonconsciously primed with travel goals that were strongly associated with the use of a subway line. In the second part of the study, participants chose, among four travel modes, the one(s) that allowed reaching a specific place. Priming and habit strength contributed non-additively to decision times, but among low-mindfulness participants only. Among non-habitual users, priming speeded decisions at high levels of mindfulness, but slowed decisions at low levels of mindfulness. From a fundamental and applied point of view, discussion focuses on processes crossing habits, non-deliberated responses to environmental cues, and mindfulness.

Patients with a preference for medication do equally well in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurrent depression as those preferring mindfulness

BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested that patients’ treatment preferences may influence treatment outcome. The current study investigated whether preference for either mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) or maintenance antidepressant medication (mADM) to prevent relapse in recurrent depression was associated with patients’ characteristics, treatment adherence, or treatment outcome of MBCT. MethodsThe data originated from two parallel randomised controlled trials, the first comparing the combination of MBCT and mADM to MBCT in patients preferring MBCT (n=249), the second comparing the combination to mADM alone in patients preferring mADM (n=68). Patients’ characteristics were compared across the trials (n=317). Subsequently, adherence and clinical outcomes were compared for patients who all received the combination (n=154). ResultsPatients with a preference for mADM reported more previous depressive episodes and higher levels of mindfulness at baseline. Preference did not affect adherence to either MBCT or mADM. With regard to treatment outcome of MBCT added to mADM, preference was not associated with relapse/recurrence (χ2=0.07; p=.80), severity of (residual) depressive symptoms during the 15-month follow-up period (β=−0.08, p=.49), or quality of life. LimitationsThe group preferring mADM was relatively small. The influence of preferences on outcome may have been limited in the current study because both preference groups received both interventions. ConclusionsThe fact that patients with a preference for medication did equally well as those with a preference for mindfulness supports the applicability of MBCT for recurrent depression. Future studies of MBCT should include measures of preferences to increase knowledge in this area.