Going beyond Mindfulness: How Concentration and Tranquility Commonly Co-Arising with Mindfulness Account for Mental Health.
Ryan M. K. Chan, Winnie W. S. Mak, Ben C. L. Yu
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health April 11, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20085470 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scale development and validation study with cross-sectional and longitudinal survey components Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,101 |
| Population | University students and community adults |
| Measures | Concentration Scale, Tranquility Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Stress, psychological Mental health Attention Adult Self report Concentration Distress Calmness Samadhi Nonattachment Stillness Tranquility |
| Key findings | Concentration and tranquility were positively associated with attentional control, mindfulness, and nonattachment, and negatively associated with irritability, perceived stress, and psychological distress. The authors report that concentration and tranquility have incremental value over mindfulness in explaining mental health indicators, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. |
Abstract
Concentration and tranquility usually co-arise with mindfulness during mindfulness practice and in daily life and may potentially contribute to mental health; however, they have rarely been studied in empirical research. The present study aimed to examine the relationship of concentration and tranquility with mindfulness and indicators of mental health. With no existing self-report measure assessing concentration and tranquility, the Concentration Scale and Tranquility Scale were first developed and validated. Items were developed based on the extant literature, rated by a group of experts, and selected according to their ratings. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA; n = 384) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA; n = 384) were employed in separate samples of university students and community adults to establish the factor structure of both scales. Their construct validity was established in another similar sample (n = 333) by examining their correlations with variables including (a) concentration-related concepts, (b) tranquility-related concepts, (c) mindfulness-related concepts, and (d) perceived stress and psychological distress. The relationships between concentration, tranquility, mindfulness, perceived stress and psychological distress were then examined by hierarchical multiple regressions, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. A single-factor structure was found by the EFA and confirmed by the CFA for both scales. Concentration and tranquility were significantly and positively associated with (a) attentional control and (b) mindfulness and nonattachment; and negatively associated with (c) irritability and (d) perceived stress and psychological distress. Concentration and tranquility were found to have a significant incremental value over the effect of mindfulness on indicators of mental health. Concentration and tranquility can incrementally explain mental health above and beyond the effect of mindfulness.
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
- An Eight-Week Zen Meditation and Music Programme for Mindfulness and Happiness: Qualitative Content Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health December 4, 2023
- A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relative Temporal Association of Tranquility, Concentration, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaires (FFMQ) with Nonattachment and Mental Health Applied Research in Quality of Life April 22, 2025
- A brief transnational measure of mindfulness: measurement invariance of the Five Item Mindfulness-Based Awareness Scale in six Latin American countries Medical Education & Clinical Practice May 4, 2026
- Being Mindful with Discernment: Development and Validation of the Mindfulness-Discernment Scale (MDS) Mindfulness March 1, 2026
- The Influence of Meditation Practices on Prosocial Orientations and Person-Centered Supportive Communication Communication Reports April 13, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 16
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- Classical mindfulness: an introduction to its theory and practice for clinical application. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 1, 2009
- Relating Equanimity to Mindfulness Mindfulness November 1, 2021
and 11 more in the library