Low Mindfulness Groups Research Articles

Mindfulness may buffer the longitudinal influence of peer rejection on adolescents’ prosocial behavior: A cross-lagged study

Interpersonal rejection has been found to impair people’s prosocial actions. However, this relation may change as a function of theoretically relevant personality traits. The present study examined the potential moderating roles of trait mindfulness in the longitudinal relations between peer rejection and prosocial behaviors. At two time points with an interval of eight months, 654 adolescents nominated children in their class who have been rejected by peers and children who have enacted prosocial behaviors toward classmates and then completed the mindfulness questionnaire. Cross-lagged model results indicated that peer rejection could negatively predict prosocial behaviors in both high and low mindfulness groups of children while the reverse predictive relation from prosociality to peer rejection was not significant. More prominent, trait mindfulness might buffer the negative contribution of peer rejection to prosocial behaviors. Within a more ecologically valid context with a longitudinal design, our study contributed to a better understanding of the conditions under which interpersonal rejection may undermine prosocial behaviors.

Mindfulness, recovery-stress balance, and well-being among university dance students

ABSTRACT Dance students face many physical and psychological stressors in their training and daily lives, therefore methods for coping with stress are essential for performance enhancement and general wellbeing. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between mindfulness, stress, recovery, and wellbeing among university level vocational dance students. Seventy-two dance students at two Australian universities completed online self-report measures of mindfulness, recovery-stress states, and affect. Correlation coefficients indicated a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and positive affect, and significant negative relationships between mindfulness and stress, and mindfulness and negative affect. MANOVA revealed differences between high mindfulness and low mindfulness groups on general stress, negative affect, and dance-specific recovery. The findings suggested that low mindfulness may be a risk factor for stress in general, and improvements in mindfulness may provide a protective buffer for students coping with a vast array of general and dance-specific demands.

Relationship between mindfulness and cognitive anxiety-impaired performance: Based on performance evaluation discrepancies

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between athletes’ mindfulness and discrepancy in their self-evaluated and teammate-evaluated performance decrement. The participants in this study were 120 university athletes who took part in a longitudinal survey at three time points. The participants first answered a survey to rate their mindfulness and own performance decrement. Then, they partnered with a teammate and evaluated each other's performance decrement. The participants were classified into a high mindfulness group and low mindfulness group based on their mindfulness score. A three-factor analysis of covariance (group × time × evaluator) was conducted. The two-way interaction between group and evaluator was significant. A simple main effect analysis showed that the low mindfulness group scored higher on performance decrement than the high mindfulness group in self-evaluation, whereas no difference was observed between the groups in terms of teammate evaluation. Therefore, it was inferred that athletes with low mindfulness are more likely to evaluate their own performance negatively compared to athletes with high mindfulness, even when their teammates do not.

The Relationship Among Trait Mindfulness, Attention, and Working Memory in Junior School Students Under Different Stressful Situations.

Attention and working memory are important cognitive functions that affect junior school students’ learning ability and academic performance. This study aimed to explore the relationships among trait mindfulness, attention, and working memory and to explore differences in performance between a high trait mindfulness group and a low one in attention and working memory under different stressful situations. In study 1, 216 junior school students completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and their attention and working memory were tested in a non-pressure situation. The results showed that attention had a partial mediating effect between mindfulness and working memory. In study 2, the high trait mindfulness group and the low one were tested for attention and working memory under situations with single and multiple pressures. One notable result was that the attention and working memory performances of the high mindfulness group were all significantly higher than those of the low mindfulness group in every stress situation (no stress, single stress, and multiple stresses). Other important results were that trait mindfulness moderates the relationship between stress and attention and between stress and working memory. These results suggest that trait mindfulness has a protective effect in the process by which various stresses affect attention and working memory. These findings indicate that trait mindfulness is an important psychological quality that affects the attention and working memory of junior school students, and it is also an important psychological resource for effectively coping with the impact of stress on attention and working memory. Therefore, it is possible that improving trait mindfulness may help to improve junior school students’ attention and working memory and enable them to cope better with stress, thereby helping to improve academic performance. This research is of great significance for understanding the association between key psychological qualities and cognitive functions in different stressful situations. These findings also provide insight for future studies in educational psychology.

Positive personality: Relationships among mindful and grateful personality traits with quality of life and health outcomes

The positive personality traits/human strengths mindfulness and gratitude are attracting increasing attention in the literature. Two separate studies were undertaken to evaluate quality of life and health outcomes in individuals who are more mindful and more grateful versus those who are not mindful and not grateful. In study 1, 315 male soldiers completed standardized scales of mindfulness (MAAS), gratitude (GQ-6), general health, life satisfaction, quality of life, insomnia severity, and perceived stress. Participants were divided into three groups: a high dispositional mindfulness/gratitude group (high mindfulness/gratitude individuals), a low dispositional mindfulness/gratitude group (low mindfulness/gratitude individuals), and a moderate dispositional mindfulness/gratitude group (medium mindfulness/gratitude individuals). Data were analyzed using a series of multivariate analyses of variance. The results showed significant differences in quality of life, life satisfaction, perceived stress, mental health, insomnia, gratitude, and mindfulness among the high mindfulness, medium mindfulness, and low mindfulness groups, as well as among individuals in the high gratitude, medium gratitude, and low gratitude groups (p < 0.001). For study 2, data were collected from 432 college students (207 female) who completed the mindfulness (MAAS), self-regulation, and psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress; DASS-21) scales. The results showed significant differences in level of depression, anxiety, stress, and self-regulation among individuals in the high mindfulness, medium mindfulness, and low mindfulness groups (p < 0.001). Moreover, the results of both studies indicated that the rate and pattern of relationships between mindfulness and/or gratitude with the variables under investigation were different according to the individuals’ personality type (i.e., high/low mindfulness traits and high/low gratitude traits). Together, the results of these studies indicate that individuals with more mindful and grateful traits enjoy a higher quality of life and more physical and psychological well-being.

Mindfulness and Psychological Health Outcomes: A Latent Profile Analysis among Military Personnel and College Students.

Previous research on trait mindfulness facets using person-centered analyses (e.g., latent profile analysis [LPA]) has identified four distinct mindfulness profiles among college students: a high mindfulness group (high on all facets of the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ]), a judgmentally observing group (highest on observing, but low on non-judging of inner experience and acting with awareness), a non-judgmentally aware group (high on non-judging of inner experience and acting with awareness, but very low on observing), and a low mindfulness group (low on all facets of the FFMQ). In the present study, we used LPA to identify distinct mindfulness profiles in a community based sample of U.S. military personnel (majority veterans; n = 407) and non-military college students (n = 310) and compare these profiles on symptoms of psychological health outcomes (e.g., suicidality, PTSD, anxiety, rumination) and percentage of participants exceeding clinically significant cut-offs for depressive symptoms, substance use, and alcohol use. In the subsample of college students, we replicated previous research and found four distinct mindfulness profiles; however, in the military subsample we found three distinct mindfulness profiles (a combined low mindfulness/judgmentally observing class). In both subsamples, we found that the most adaptive profile was the "high mindfulness" profile (i.e., demonstrated the lowest scores on all psychological symptoms and the lowest probability of exceeding clinical cut-offs). Based on these findings, we purport that the comprehensive examination of an individual's mindfulness profile could help clinicians tailor interventions/treatments that capitalize on individual's specific strengths and work to address their specific deficits.

Mindfulness and mental toughness among provincial adolescent female hockey players

Introduction: Mental toughness is highly valued within competitive sport. However, scant attention has been paid to the psychological processes that underpin mental toughness.Objectives: To explore the relationship between mindfulness and mental toughness among provincial adolescent female hockey players.Methods: Provincial adolescent female hockey players (N=484) completed measures of mindfulness and mental toughness. Correlation coefficients were calculated with respect to mindfulness and mental toughness. A one-way between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine whether athletes assigned to four levels of mindfulness (high, moderate, medium and low) differed significantly with regard to mental toughness.Results: Mindfulness exhibited significant positive correlations with confidence, constancy and control, as well as with total mental toughness. The results of the ANOVA and the relevant post hoc analyses indicated that athletes in the high mindfulness group reported significantly higher levels of control and general mental toughness than those in the other three groups. The high mindfulness participants also reported significantly higher levels of constancy than those in the medium and low mindfulness groups. Conclusion: Mindfulness was positively correlated with all aspects of mental toughness investigated in this study. In addition, individuals with high levels of mindfulness reported higher control, constancy and general mental toughness than those with lower levels of mindfulness. Based on the current findings, the role of mindfulness in the development and maintenance of mental toughness among adolescent athletes warrants further investigation.

An integrated model of depression, compulsion, and mindfulness among heroin abusers in Taiwan.

Prevailing literature explains how depression, compulsion, and mindfulness affect heroin use; however, there is no comprehensive framework that explains their overall relationships. We therefore proposed and examined a hypothetical depression-compulsion-heroin use and mindfulness (DCHm) model. We recruited 234 male heroin users. Self-reported levels of depression, mindfulness, compulsion to use, and severity of heroin use were measured. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed DCHm model. Compulsion was a mediator between depression and heroin use. In addition, the DCHm model had satisfactory model fit indices. Depression indirectly affected heroin use through compulsion to use. The moderating effects of mindfulness in the two competing models were compared between the high- and low-mindfulness groups. The DCHm model in the high-mindfulness group had more favorable model fit indices than it did in the low-mindfulness group. Through learned emotional regulation strategies, addicted people with higher mindfulness were less likely to compulsively take drugs because of a depressive mood than were those with lower mindfulness. Furthermore, effective emotion-regulation strategies should be developed and examined in future studies. These results raise questions about the effect of compulsion on heroin use disorders. Mindfulness-based approaches to emotional regulatory strategies should be developed based on these findings. Further experimentation and prospective studies are needed to more fully examine the moderating role of mindfulness on depression and compulsion.

Mindfulness and mental toughness among provincial adolescent female hockey players

Introduction : Mental toughness is highly valued within competitive sport. However, scant attention has been paid to the psychological processes that underpin mental toughness. Objectives : To explore the relationship between mindfulness and mental toughness among provincial adolescent female hockey players. Methods : Provincial adolescent female hockey players (N=484) completed measures of mindfulness and mental toughness. Correlation coefficients were calculated with respect to mindfulness and mental toughness. A one-way between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine whether athletes assigned to four levels of mindfulness (high, moderate, medium and low) differed significantly with regard to mental toughness. Results : Mindfulness exhibited significant positive correlations with confidence, constancy and control, as well as with total mental toughness. The results of the ANOVA and the relevant post hoc analyses indicated that athletes in the high mindfulness group reported significantly higher levels of control and general mental toughness than those in the other three groups. The high mindfulness participants also reported significantly higher levels of constancy than those in the medium and low mindfulness groups. Conclusion : Mindfulness was positively correlated with all aspects of mental toughness investigated in this study. In addition, individuals with high levels of mindfulness reported higher control, constancy and general mental toughness than those with lower levels of mindfulness. Based on the current findings, the role of mindfulness in the development and maintenance of mental toughness among adolescent athletes warrants further investigation.

Getting Personal with Mindfulness: a Latent Profile Analysis of Mindfulness and Psychological Outcomes

Variable-centered analyses demonstrate that most facets of mindfulness are associated with improved psychological well-being. Person-centered analyses provide the ability to identify distinct subpopulations defined by individuals’ full response profiles on mindfulness facets. Previous research has used latent profile analysis (LPA) to distinguish four subgroups of college students based on five facets of mindfulness: high mindfulness group, low mindfulness group, judgmentally observing group, and non-judgmentally aware group. On emotional outcomes, they found the judgmentally observing group had the most maladaptive emotional outcomes followed by the low mindfulness group. However, they did not examine experience with mindfulness meditation, other mindfulness-related constructs, or psychological well-being. In a sample of 688 college students (481 non-meditators, 200 meditators), we used LPA to identify distinct subgroups defined by their scores on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Using the Lo-Mendell-Rubin Likelihood Ratio Test, we found that a 4-class solution fits optimally for the entire sample as well as subsamples of meditation-naive and meditation-experienced participants. We substantially replicated previous findings in all samples with regard to emotional outcomes. Further, the high mindfulness group demonstrated the highest levels of psychological well-being, decentering, self-regulation, and psychological flexibility. Overall, our results demonstrate the utility of person-centered analyses to examine mindfulness in unique ways.

Dispositional mindfulness and semantic integration of emotional words: Evidence from event-related brain potentials

Initial research shows that mindfulness training can enhance attention and modulate the affective response. However, links between mindfulness and language processing remain virtually unexplored despite the prominent role of overt and silent negative ruminative speech in depressive and anxiety-related symptomatology. Here, we measured dispositional mindfulness and recorded participants’ event-related brain potential responses to positive and negative target words preceded by words congruent or incongruent with the targets in terms of semantic relatedness and emotional valence. While the low mindfulness group showed similar N400 effect pattern for positive and negative targets, high dispositional mindfulness was associated with larger N400 effect to negative targets. This result suggests that negative meanings are less readily accessible in people with high dispositional mindfulness. Furthermore, high dispositional mindfulness was associated with reduced P600 amplitudes to emotional words, suggesting less post-analysis and attentional effort which possibly relates to a lower inclination to ruminate. Overall, these findings provide initial evidence on associations between modifications in language systems and mindfulness.

"Being Mindful": Does it Help Adolescents and Young Adults Who Have Completed Cancer Treatment?

Feelings of excitement and relief upon finishing cancer treatment are often juxtaposed with a time that can be challenging, distressing, and uncertain for adolescents and young adults (AYAs). The purpose of this study was to examine whether a mindful dispositional trait was associated with better adaptive outcomes for these young people. AYAs who had finished cancer treatment (N = 76; mean age, 18.5; years, SD, 3.4 years) completed questionnaires measuring mindfulness, psychological distress, and uncertainty around their cancer experience. A median split was performed based on the total scores for the mindfulness measure to establish high and low mindfulness groups. No significant differences were found between these 2 groups on demographic or cancer variables. There were significant differences between the groups on the distress and uncertainty scores such that the higher mindfulness group reported significantly less distress and uncertainty. The current findings suggest the potential for a broader application of mindfulness to more fully assist young people throughout the whole pathway of cancer care.

Mindfulness and emotional outcomes: Identifying subgroups of college students using latent profile analysis

In non-meditating samples, distinct facets of mindfulness are found to be negatively correlated, preventing the meaningful creation of a total mindfulness score. The present study used person-centered analyses to distinguish subgroups of college students based on their mindfulness scores, which allows the examination of individuals who are high (or low) on all facets of mindfulness. Using the Lo–Mendell–Rubin Adjusted LRT test, we settled on a 4-class solution that included a high mindfulness group (high on all 5 facets, N=245), low mindfulness group (moderately low on all 5 facets, N=563), judgmentally observing group (high on observing, but low on non-judging and acting with awareness, N=63), and non-judgmentally aware group (low on observing, but high on non-judging and acting with awareness, N=70). Consistent across all emotional outcomes including depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms (i.e., worry), affective instability, and distress intolerance, we found that the judgmentally observing group had the most maladaptive emotional outcomes followed by the low mindfulness group. Both the high mindfulness group and the non-judgmentally aware group had the most adaptive emotional outcomes. We discuss the implications of person-centered analyses to exploring mindfulness as it relates to important psychological health outcomes.

Mindfulness and burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players

Background. Burnout among adolescent athletes is a cause for concern. However, little is known about the intrapersonal factors that may be related to burnout in this population.Objectives. To explore the relationship between burnout and mindfulness among competitive adolescent tennis players.Methods. Competitive adolescent tennis players (N=104; mean age 16 years) completed measures of mindfulness and athlete burnout. Correlations were calculated with regard to mindfulness and burnout. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine whether athletes assigned to three levels of mindfulness (high, moderate and low) differed significantly with regard to burnout.Results. Mindfulness exhibited significant negative correlations with global burnout, emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment and sport devaluation. The results of the MANOVA indicated that individuals in the three mindfulness groups (high, moderate and low) reported significantly different levels of burnout. Post hoc analyses revealed that participants in the high mindfulness group reported a significantly lower sense of reduced accomplishment and global burnout than participants in the low mindfulness group. In addition, participants in the low mindfulness group reported significantly higher levels of global burnout than individuals in the high and moderate mindfulness groups.Conclusion. Mindfulness appears to be negatively related to athlete burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players. Furthermore, athletes reporting different levels of mindfulness exhibit differing levels of burnout. The potential protective effect of mindfulness with regard to burnout among adolescent athletes warrants further investigation.

Mindfulness and burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players

Background. Burnout among adolescent athletes is a cause for concern. However, little is known about the intrapersonal factors that may be related to burnout in this population.Objectives. To explore the relationship between burnout and mindfulness among competitive adolescent tennis players.Methods. Competitive adolescent tennis players (N=104; mean age 16 years) completed measures of mindfulness and athlete burnout. Correlations were calculated with regard to mindfulness and burnout. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine whether athletes assigned to three levels of mindfulness (high, moderate and low) differed significantly with regard to burnout.Results. Mindfulness exhibited significant negative correlations with global burnout, emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment and sport devaluation. The results of the MANOVA indicated that individuals in the three mindfulness groups (high, moderate and low) reported significantly different levels of burnout. Post hoc analyses revealed that participants in the high mindfulness group reported a significantly lower sense of reduced accomplishment and global burnout than participants in the low mindfulness group. In addition, participants in the low mindfulness group reported significantly higher levels of global burnout than individuals in the high and moderate mindfulness groups.Conclusion. Mindfulness appears to be negatively related to athlete burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players. Furthermore, athletes reporting different levels of mindfulness exhibit differing levels of burnout. The potential protective effect of mindfulness with regard to burnout among adolescent athletes warrants further investigation.

Mindfulness and burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players

Background. Burnout among adolescent athletes is a cause for concern. However, little is known about the intrapersonal factors that may be related to burnout in this population.Objectives. To explore the relationship between burnout and mindfulness among competitive adolescent tennis players.Methods. Competitive adolescent tennis players (N=104; mean age 16 years) completed measures of mindfulness and athlete burnout. Correlations were calculated with regard to mindfulness and burnout. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine whether athletes assigned to three levels of mindfulness (high, moderate and low) differed significantly with regard to burnout.Results. Mindfulness exhibited significant negative correlations with global burnout, emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment and sport devaluation. The results of the MANOVA indicated that individuals in the three mindfulness groups (high, moderate and low) reported significantly different levels of burnout. Post hoc analyses revealed that participants in the high mindfulness group reported a significantly lower sense of reduced accomplishment and global burnout than participants in the low mindfulness group. In addition, participants in the low mindfulness group reported significantly higher levels of global burnout than individuals in the high and moderate mindfulness groups.Conclusion. Mindfulness appears to be negatively related to athlete burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players. Furthermore, athletes reporting different levels of mindfulness exhibit differing levels of burnout. The potential protective effect of mindfulness with regard to burnout among adolescent athletes warrants further investigation.