A latent profile analysis of the Big Five personality and mindfulness traits in the general population

Personality and mindfulness traits predict how people respond to brief mindfulness interventions. A multinational sample of 636 adults completed personality and mindfulness measures, then were randomly assigned to a 5-minute, 20-minute, or active control mindfulness practice. Latent profile analysis identified three personality-mindfulness profiles: 'Mindful-adaptive,' 'Reserved-disengaged,' and 'Ruminative-preoccupied.' For the Ruminative-preoccupied profile, all practice lengths produced significant medium-to-large improvements in affect. For the Reserved-disengaged profile, only the shorter 5-minute practice yielded a significant medium-to-large effect. The Mindful-adaptive profile showed no significant benefit from any practice. The authors argue that tailoring intervention dose to personality profiles could improve effectiveness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Understanding how personality and mindfulness traits influence responses to health and wellbeing interventions is important for improving their effectiveness, in particular since there is likely not a one-size-fits-all approach for mindfulness. While various interventions show overall benefits, individual differences likely determine optimal intervention types and doses. A multinational sample of 636 general population adults (57.2 % female) completed self-report measures of personality and mindfulness traits, and state positive and negative affect scales before being randomly assigned to a single mindfulness practice of 5-min, 20-min, or an active control, after which state scales were completed again. The personality and mindfulness data were subjected to latent profile analysis, revealing three profiles, labelled 1) Mindful-adaptive, 2) Reserved-disengaged, and 3) Ruminative-preoccupied. Secondary analyses showed significant medium to large effects for profile 3 (Ruminative-preoccupied ) across all groups. For profile 2 (Reserved-disengaged) , shorter mindfulness practice had a significant medium to large effect. No significant interactions were found for profile 1 (Mindful-adaptive). Findings suggest that personality-mindfulness profiles predict differential responses to brief interventions. This has practical implications for personalizing health and wellbeing interventions based on individual personality characteristics. Our study provides a novel person-centered approach to understanding intervention effectiveness through personality profiling.