The relationship between mindfulness and mental health among Chinese college students during the closed-loop management of the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediation model.
Jing Yuan, Fang Sun, Xiaomin Zhao, Zejun Liu, Qing Liang
Journal of Affective Disorders February 6, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional online survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 11,939 |
| Population | College students at a university in Changsha, China, during COVID-19 closed-loop management |
| Measures | Perceived Stress Scale (Chinese version), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Cognitive Reappraisal, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, 7-item General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Stress, psychological Mental health Students Universities Pandemics Covid-19 College student Perceived stress Cognitive reappraisal Closed-loop management |
| Key findings | Mindfulness was negatively associated with mental health problems, and perceived stress mediated this relationship. Cognitive reappraisal moderated the link between mindfulness and perceived stress: at the same level of mindfulness, individuals with more cognitive reappraisal tended to experience less perceived stress. |
Abstract
To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic on campus, universities in outbreak areas in China can implement closed-loop management. Objects: This study aimed to explore the relationship between mindfulness and mental health of college students under closed-loop management. Measures: 11,939 college students from a university in Changsha, China participated in the online survey during the closed-loop management period. The Chinese version of Perceived Stress Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Cognitive Reappraisal, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the 7-item General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire were administered to the college students.
Results: We found that mindfulness was negative association with mental health during the closed-loop management period. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between mindfulness and mental health. Cognitive reappraisal moderated the relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress. Specifically, when the level of mindfulness is the same, individuals with more cognitive reappraisal tend to experience a less perceived stress.
Conclusion: The results of this study are of great significance to improve the mental health of college students during closed-loop management period.
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
Cited by 2
- Mindfulness and Mental Health of College Athletes: The Role of Stress Coping and Burnout International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025
- Depression, anxiety, stress and mental well-being among Filipino sexual and gender minority university students: a cross-sectional study examining the mediating role of mindfulness. Journal of Research in Nursing April 23, 2026
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