The effect of trait mindfulness on rumination in college students: the mediating role of physical exercise behavior and optimistic intelligence quotient.
Yong Jiang, Beier Zhang, Hongbo Zhao, Lei Shi
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living March 13, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1645772 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional questionnaire survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,983 |
| Population | Chinese university students, mean age 19.10 ± 1.07 years (996 male, 987 female) |
| Measures | Trait Mindfulness Scale, Rumination Scale, Physical Exercise Rating Scale, Optimization Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Rumination Sport psychology Trait mindfulness Exercise behaviour Optimistic intelligence quotient |
| Key findings | Trait mindfulness negatively predicted rumination among Chinese university students, with a direct effect of -0.013. Exercise behavior and optimistic intelligence quotient each independently mediated this relationship (effect values -0.005 and -0.003), and the authors report a significant chain mediation effect of -0.093, concluding that mindfulness predicts rumination both directly and through these two mediators in sequence. |
Abstract
Objective: To explore the mechanism of trait mindfulness's influence on college students' rumination and to analyze the chain mediating role of exercise behavior and optimistic intelligence quotient.
Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 1983 Chinese university students (mean age of subjects 19.10 ± 1.07 years) using the Trait mindfulness Scale, the Rumination Scale, the Physical Exercise Rating Scale, and the Optimization Scale. Among them, 996 were male and 987 were female university students.
Results: The direct effect value of trait mindfulness on college students' rumination was -0.013, the effect values of exercise behavior and music quotient in the relationship between trait mindfulness and college students' rumination were -0.005 and -0.003, respectively, and the chain mediation effect of exercise behavior and music quotient was significant with an effect value of -0.093.
Conclusions: (1) trait mindfulness significantly and positively predicts exercise behavior and music quotient, and significantly and negatively predicts rumination among college students; (2) trait mindfulness has significant direct and indirect effects on rumination among college students. trait mindfulness can significantly predict rumination through the independent mediating effect of exercise behavior and music quotient, and can also significantly predict rumination through the chain mediating effect of exercise behavior and music quotient.
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 |