Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress

Mindfulness is linked to lower psychological distress, and three mechanisms help explain this connection: better emotion regulation, greater nonattachment (letting go of fixations), and reduced rumination. Self-report data from two independent groups of undergraduates were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results confirmed that mindfulness inversely relates to distress, and that emotion regulation, nonattachment, and rumination each significantly mediate this relationship.

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Abstract

Both dispositional mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions have been found to be associated with less psychological distress. The current study investigated three mechanisms by which mindfulness might exert its beneficial effects: emotion regulation, nonattachment, and reduced rumination. Correlational self-report data were collected from two independent, nonclinical samples of undergraduates. Structural equation modeling was then used to test the role of these three mechanisms in mediating the relationship between mindfulness and a psychological distress factor, consisting of measures for depressive and anxious symptomatology. The model was respecified based on the first sample and retested in the second sample. Results confirmed an inverse relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress. Furthermore, emotion regulation, nonattachment, and rumination significantly mediated this relationship.