Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress
Complementary health practice review April 1, 2008 Kimberly A. Coffey, Marilyn Hartman 344 citations
Mindfulness is linked to lower psychological distress, and three mechanisms help explain this connection: better emotion regulation, greater nonattachment (letting go of fixations), and reduced rumination. Self-report data from two independent groups of undergraduates were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results confirmed that mindfulness inversely relates to distress, and that emotion regulation, nonattachment, and rumination each significantly mediate this relationship.