The Mindful Adolescent: Developmental Changes in Nonreactivity to Inner Experiences during the Transition to High School, and Relations to Stress and Positive Affect

Abstract

Little is known about the naturalistic development of mindfulness in adolescence, and whether changes in this mental faculty are associated with perceived stress and emotional well-being. The current longitudinal study examined the development of one dimension of mindfulness, nonreactivity to inner experience, in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample (N = 1,657) during the transition from middle school to high school. Students participated in up to four assessment waves, from fall of 8th grade through spring of 9th grade, during which they completed self-report measures assessing nonreactivity, perceived stress, and positive affect. Latent growth curve models indicated that levels of nonreactivity increased linearly during the two-year study period. Developmental change in nonreactivity varied minimally by gender, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. Parallel process latent growth curve models showed that changes in nonreactivity were associated with concomitant reductions in perceived stress and increases in positive affect. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models showed that within-person nonreactivity prospectively predicted changes in perceived stress and positive affect. This is the first study to track naturalistic developmental change in mindfulness during adolescence. Results suggest that the nonreactivity dimension of mindfulness may boost resilience during the transition from middle school to high school.