Do dispositional rumination and/or mindfulness moderate the relationship between life hassles and psychological dysfunction in adolescents?
Anthony D G Marks, Donna J Sobanski, Donald W Hine
The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry September 1, 2010 DOI: 10.3109/00048674.2010.487478 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 317 |
| Population | Australian high school students |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Adaptation, psychological Stress, psychological Personality Adolescent Australia Female Young adult Surveys and questionnaires |
| Key findings | More recent life hassles were reliably associated with greater depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Dispositional rumination exacerbated the relationship between hassles and depression and anxiety symptoms, whereas dispositional mindfulness attenuated the relationship between hassles and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. The authors propose that childhood interventions to increase dispositional mindfulness may protect adolescent psychological well-being. |
Abstract
Objective: This study examined the moderating effects of dispositional rumination and mindfulness on the relationship between recent life hassles and adolescent mental health (operationalized as symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress).
Method: Data collected from a sample of 317 Australian high school students comprised an inventory of recent life hassles, measures of dispositional rumination and dispositional mindfulness and an assessment of current symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.
Results: An increased incidence of recent life hassles was reliably associated with increased depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress. However, moderation analyses revealed that dispositional rumination exacerbated the relationship between life hassles and symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas dispositional mindfulness attenuated the relationship between life hassles and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.
Conclusions: Interventions to increase dispositional mindfulness in childhood are proposed as a method of protecting the psychological well-being of adolescents confronted by inevitable everyday life stress.
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 10
- The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Depressive Symptoms, and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Amongst Adolescents Archives of Suicide Research March 16, 2016
- Testing the indirect effect of trait mindfulness on adolescent cigarette smoking through negative affect and perceived stress mediators Journal of Substance Use October 3, 2011
- The relationship between dispositional mindfulness and eating : an analysis of self-reported and in vivo eating behaviors in undergraduate females. 2013
- Buffering Stress or Building Resources? A Test of Mindfulness Mechanisms in the Workplace. Psychological Reports July 1, 2025
- Association between school bullying and self-harm in Chinese children and adolescents: the mediating role of mindfulness. BMC Public Health May 15, 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 11
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- 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
and 6 more in the library