Relating dispositional mindfulness, contemplative practice, and positive reappraisal with posttraumatic cognitive coping, stress, and growth.
Adam W. Hanley, Eric L Garland, Richard G Tedeschi
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy September 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1037/tra0000208 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 505 |
| Population | College students |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Including dispositional mindfulness and positive reappraisal into established models of posttraumatic growth increases the model's explanatory power, with distinct cognitive coping pathways connecting these factors to posttraumatic stress and growth. |
Abstract
A growing body of theoretical and empirical work suggests that mindfulness may support more positive posttraumatic outcomes by reducing posttraumatic stress (PTS) and encouraging posttraumatic growth (PTG). Positive reappraisal (PR), a cognitive coping correlate of dispositional mindfulness (DM) has also been linked with greater PTG. However, neither DM nor PR have been modeled in relation to core posttraumatic constructs such as core belief disruption, intrusive rumination, deliberate rumination, PTS and PTG. This study explored associations between these constructs in a sample of college students (N = 505), also investigating the impact of contemplative practice involvement on the relationships between the constructs. Results indicate that including DM and PR into established models of PTG increases the model's explanatory power, which distinct cognitive coping pathways connect DM and core belief disruption with PTS as well as PTG, and that contemplative practice involvement substantially alters relationships between the core PTG variables. The present study contributes to the growing reconceptualization of trauma as linked with both positive and pathogenic outcomes, emphasizing the need to better understand how posttraumatic cognitive coping strategies contribute to more positive outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record
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 9
- A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Students With Psychiatric Disorders in a Special Education Curriculum: A Series of n-of-1 Trials on Internalized and Externalized Symptoms Frontiers in Education September 3, 2018
- The effect of mindfulness and acceptance on perceived post-traumatic growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation June 21, 2026
- The Impact of Trauma-Informed Meditation on Posttraumatic Growth: A Randomized Controlled Trial Research Square June 1, 2026
- Refugees, Trauma, and Positive Psychological Change: Mindfulness as a Moderator for Posttraumatic Growth. Healthcare February 3, 2026
- Impact of mindfulness and self-compassion on anxiety and depression: The mediating role of resilience International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology March 11, 2021
and 4 more in the library
Cites 6
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- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Dispositional Mindfulness Co-varies with Self-Reported Positive Reappraisal. Personality and Individual Differences August 1, 2014
- Conceptualizing mindfulness and acceptance as components of psychological resilience to trauma. Trauma, violence & abuse October 1, 2011
- Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review November 1, 2010
and 1 more in the library