Testing the indirect effect of trait mindfulness on adolescent cigarette smoking through negative affect and perceived stress mediators
David Scott Black, Steve Y Sussman, C. Anderson Johnson, Joel Milam
Journal of Substance Use October 3, 2011 DOI: 10.3109/14659891.2011.587092 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal observational study Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5,287 |
| Population | Chinese adolescents from 24 schools, mean age 16.2 years (SD 0.7), 48.8% female |
| Duration | 13-month follow-up |
| Measures | Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (six items) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 57 |
| Key findings | Trait mindfulness showed significant indirect effects on past 30-day cigarette smoking frequency through depressive affect, anger affect, and perceived stress in cross-sectional baseline data. In 13-month longitudinal data, the indirect effects remained significant for depressive affect and perceived stress but not for anger affect. The authors suggest heightening mindfulness may indirectly reduce adolescent smoking, perhaps by improving affect regulation. |
Abstract
Mindfulness refers to an enhanced attention to and awareness of present moment experience. This study examined how trait mindfulness, as measured with six items from Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, might influence adolescent cigarette smoking frequency through its impact on depressive affect, anger affect and perceived stress mediators. Self-reported data from Chinese adolescents (N = 5287, mean age = 16.2 years, SD = 0.7; 48.8% females) were collected within 24 schools. The product of coefficients test was used to determine significant mediation paths. Results from baseline cross-sectional data indicated that trait mindfulness had a significant indirect effect on past 30-day smoking frequency through depressive affect, anger affect and perceived stress mediators. Results from 13-month longitudinal data indicated that these indirect effects remained significant for depressive affect and perceived stress but not for anger affect. Findings from this study may suggest that heightening mindfulness among adolescents may indirectly reduce cigarette smoking perhaps by improving affect regulation competencies.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Mindfulness influence on psychological wellbeing: in search of cultural adaptations. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- The Association Between Mindfulness and Perceived Stress: A Meta‐Analysis Stress and Health July 18, 2026
- The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Emotional Flexibility and Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression in Divorced Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease April 1, 2023
- Mindfulness and Behavior Change Harvard Review of Psychiatry November 1, 2020
- Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Youth and Adolescence May 31, 2016
and 3 more 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
- Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology May 1, 2007
- Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2007
- Sitting-meditation interventions among youth: a review of treatment efficacy. Pediatrics August 24, 2009
- Psychometric assessment of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) among Chinese adolescents. Assessment March 2012
and 1 more in the library