Please show restraint: excessive focus on catastrophic events can lead to greater psychological trauma.
Huaqiang Liu, Zhensong Lan, Qi Zhao, Fafang Deng, Xuefang Huang
BMC Psychology October 18, 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-02085-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 526 |
| Population | Adults in Guangxi Province, China |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Catastrophic event Chain meditation Emotional state Empathy Psychological trauma |
| Key findings | Attention to catastrophic events is associated with increased psychological trauma through the mediating roles of negative emotions and empathy, and mindfulness amplifies rather than buffers the impact of negative emotions on trauma. |
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between attention, negative emotions, empathy, mindfulness, and psychological trauma in catastrophic events to reduce psychological trauma in the public. A total of 526 adults in Guangxi Province, China, were investigated using self-rating scales for post-traumatic stress disorder, emotion, and empathy, as well as a five-factor self-rating mindfulness scale and a catastrophic incident concern questionnaire. The results revealed the following: (1) Emotion significantly mediated attention and psychological trauma. (2) Empathy had a significant mediating effect on attention and psychological trauma. (3) Mindfulness moderated the relationship between negative emotions and psychological trauma, amplifying the impact of emotions on trauma rather than buffering it. When people pay attention to catastrophic events, they should remain sensible and restrained, and avoid excessive emotional involvement to reduce the excessive psychological trauma caused by the event.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- A Pilot Study of the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Brain Response to Traumatic Reminders of Combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry August 25, 2017