Are People Mindful in Different Ways? Disentangling the Quantity and Quality of Mindfulness in Latent Profiles and Exploring Their Links to Mental Health and Life Effectiveness
European Journal of Personality June 15, 2017 Baljinder K Sahdra, Joseph Ciarrochi, Philip D. Parker et al. 91 citations
A nationally representative sample of 7,884 American adults completed mindfulness questionnaires. Using statistical techniques that separate overall level from pattern of scores, researchers identified two mindfulness profiles: a judgmentally observing group and a non-judgmentally aware group. Unlike prior studies, no profiles showed uniformly high or low mindfulness across all aspects. Adding nonattachment did not change the profile shapes. The judgmentally observing profile was linked to the highest levels of mental ill-health but also the highest life satisfaction and effectiveness. The findings suggest that how mindfulness facets combine matters for psychological outcomes and may inform clinical interventions.