The Mediator Role of Mindfulness Between Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health Problems
Furkan Kaşıkçı, Burak Can Korkmaz
Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi March 28, 2025 DOI: 10.17556/erziefd.1582370 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional mediation analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 470 |
| Population | University students in classroom teaching, guidance and psychological counseling, preschool, and special education departments |
| Measures | Social Emotional Learning Scale for Adolescents, Conscious Awareness Scale, General Health Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Social-emotional learning significantly predicted fewer mental health problems, and mindfulness mediated this relationship, with significant direct and indirect effects. |
Abstract
This article investigated how mindfulness mediates the association between social-emotional learning (SEL) and mental health problems. The participants were 470 university students at the department of classroom teaching, guidance and psychological counseling, preschool, and special education departments. 285 of them were females (60.6%) and 185 of them were males (39.4%), between the age of 18 to 23 (SD=1.29). Social Emotional Learning Scale for Adolescents, Conscious Awareness Scale, and General Health Questionnaire were used for data collection. This study employed Hayes's regression-based Model 4 mediation analysis to test how mindfulness mediates the relationship between SEL and mental health problems. The study found that SEL significantly predicted fewer mental health problems. Moreover, this study suggested that mindfulness plays a mediating role between SEL and mental health problems. Taken all together, the study revealed significant direct and indirect effects of SEL on mental health problems. According to findings, incorporating SEL and mindfulness into psychosocial support programs for university students can be effective in alleviating mental health problems. This study highlighted the protective role of mindfulness-based SEL practices on mental health.
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
Cites 6
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity and mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical contexts: A review and synthesis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 22, 2022
- Associations between mindfulness and mental health outcomes: A systematic review of ecological momentary assessment research Mindfulness July 15, 2020
- The effects of mindfulness‐based stress reduction on depression, anxiety, and stress in older adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis International Journal of Mental Health Nursing January 17, 2019
- Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological Health: a Systematic Review Mindfulness July 1, 2017
and 1 more in the library