Are People Mindful in Different Ways? Disentangling the Quantity and Quality of Mindfulness in Latent Profiles and Exploring Their Links to Mental Health and Life Effectiveness

A nationally representative sample of 7,884 American adults completed mindfulness questionnaires. Using statistical techniques that separate overall level from pattern of scores, researchers identified two mindfulness profiles: a judgmentally observing group and a non-judgmentally aware group. Unlike prior studies, no profiles showed uniformly high or low mindfulness across all aspects. Adding nonattachment did not change the profile shapes. The judgmentally observing profile was linked to the highest levels of mental ill-health but also the highest life satisfaction and effectiveness. The findings suggest that how mindfulness facets combine matters for psychological outcomes and may inform clinical interventions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

We sought to disambiguate the quantitative and qualitative components of mindfulness profiles, examine whether including ‘nonattachment’ as a subcomponent of mindfulness alters the profiles, and evaluate the extent to which the person–centred approach to understanding mindfulness adds predictive power beyond a more parsimonious variable–centred approach. Using data from a nationally representative sample of Americans ( N = 7884; 52% female; Age: M = 47.9, SD = 16), we utilized bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling and latent profile analysis to separate the level and shape of previously identified profiles of mindfulness (Pearson, Lawless, Brown, & Bravo, 2015). Consistent with past research, we identified a judgmentally observing profile and a non–judgmentally aware group, but inconsistent with past research, we did not find profiles that showed high or low levels on all specific aspects of mindfulness. Adding nonattachment did not alter the shape of the profiles. Profile membership was meaningfully related to demographic variables. In models testing the distinctive predictive utility of the profiles, the judgmentally observing profile, compared to the other profiles, showed the highest levels of mental ill–health, but also the highest levels of life satisfaction and effectiveness. We discuss the implications of our study for clinical interventions and understanding the varieties of mindfulness. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology