A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relative Temporal Association of Tranquility, Concentration, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaires (FFMQ) with Nonattachment and Mental Health
Ben C. L. Yu, Winnie W. S. Mak, Floria H. N. Chio, Hin-Tak Sik, Ryan M. K. Chan
Applied Research in Quality of Life April 22, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s11482-025-10443-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 274 |
| Population | Young adults without meditation experience (mean age 21.22, 78.5% women) |
| Duration | 9-month longitudinal study with assessments at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Association psychology Facet psychology Mental health Clinical psychology Public health Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Tranquility was the most predictive mindfulness-related quality for well-being, psychological distress, and nonattachment across nine months. |
Abstract
Abstract The present study aims to investigate the relative temporal associations of different types of mindfulness-related qualities (i.e., observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-reactivity, nonjudging, tranquility, and concentration) at the dispositional level with well-being, psychological distress, and nonattachment by a 9-month longitudinal study over four-time points. Data from 274 participants (Age mean = 21.22; 78.5% women) who did not have any meditation experience were analyzed using linear regression models. Two-hundred and forty-two, 223, 216 participants were retained at three-month (88%), six-month (81%), and nine-month (79%) follow-up assessments, respectively. The results showed that among the seven qualities, tranquility was the most predictive quality to the outcome variables, including depressive symptoms, perceived stress, mental well-being, peacefulness, and nonattachment, after controlling for the outcome variables’ scores measured at the previous time points and other qualities at baseline. Observing, describing, nonreactivity, and acting with awareness were also shown to be predictive of certain types of outcome variables. The present study might provide insights into which qualities could be specifically targeted in the practice of mindfulness for novices, aiming to optimize the benefits of practice on mental health.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- 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
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- The toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation Journal of Clinical Psychology 2006
and 8 more in the library