Mindfulness and negative emotions among Chinese college students: chain mediation effect of rumination and resilience.
Keke Shi, Guoyan Feng, Qiyong Huang, Meilin Ye, Hongbo Cui
Frontiers in Psychology 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1280663 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey with mediation analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3,038 |
| Population | Chinese college students |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | College students Negative emotions Resilience Rumination |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness was negatively associated with negative emotions both directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of rumination and resilience. |
Abstract
This study examines the mediation effect of rumination and resilience between the relationship of mindfulness and negative emotions in Chinese college students. A total of 3,038 college students (19.94 ± 1.10) were investigated by Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MASS), Rumination Response Style Scale (RRS), Resilience Scale (RES) and Depression-anxiety-pressure scale (DASS-21), and the mediation analyses were conducted by adopting PROCESS macro in the SPSS software. ① Mindfulness was negatively associated with rumination and negative emotions (r = -0.69, -0.72; P < 0.01), and positively associated with resilience (r = 0.63, P < 0.01). Rumination was negatively associated with resilience (r = -0.59, P < 0.01), and positively associated with negative emotions (r = 0.83, P < 0.01). Resilience was negatively associated with negative emotions (r = -0.71, P < 0.01). ② Mindfulness can not only directly predict negative emotions (95%CI, -0.12~-0.09) but also affects negative emotions through three indirect paths: Rumination was a mediator (95%CI, -0.24~-0.20), resilience was a mediator (95%CI, -0.07~-0.06), and resilience and rumination were a chain mediator (95%CI, -0.04 ~ -0.03). Mindfulness not only influences negative emotions directly, but also through the mediating effect of rumination and resilience indirectly.
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
Cited by 6
- Rumination and alexithymia serially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms in Chinese university students. Scientific Reports July 16, 2025
- Dispositional Mindfulness and Its Impact on the Relationship Between Anxiety, Quality of Life, and Insomnia in Older Adults Research Square September 10, 2026
- The association between mindfulness and social anxiety in university students: the chain mediation role of rumination and self-compassion. Frontiers in Psychology April 23, 2026
- The Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Class on Mindfulness, Achievement Emotions, Emotion Regulation, and Empathy in Nursing Students. Nursing Reports October 23, 2025
- The effectiveness of brief mindfulness training in reducing test anxiety among high school students BMC Psychology March 5, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 7
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- The Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory: Extensions, Applications, and Challenges at the Attention–Appraisal–Emotion Interface Psychological Inquiry October 2, 2015
- The Immediate and Sustained Positive Effects of Meditation on Resilience Are Mediated by Changes in the Resting Brain Frontiers in Human Neuroscience March 26, 2019
- Mechanisms of Mindfulness Training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT) Clinical Psychology Review November 5, 2016
and 2 more in the library