How Anxious and Stressed Are Emerging Adults? The Role of Mindfulness and Intolerance of Uncertainty
Marina Nekić
Psych September 28, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/psych5040068 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 425 |
| Population | Emerging adults, majority female |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | Among 425 emerging adults, anxiety and stress were mild, with women's anxiety tending toward moderate and women showing higher intolerance of uncertainty than men. For women, stress and anxiety correlated positively with intolerance of uncertainty and negatively with mindfulness; for men, only anxiety and stress correlated positively, and stress correlated negatively with mindfulness. Inhibitory anxiety and mindfulness predicted anxiety, and all predictors were significant for stress. |
Abstract
The focus on mental health during emerging adulthood (EA) is necessary due to the development of mental disorders before the age of 25 and the adverse effects of stress and anxiety on psychological well-being. Mindfulness has been shown to aid in coping with stress and anxiety, while intolerance of uncertainty can lead to higher distress levels. The aim of this research was to explore the prevalence and interrelationships between anxiety, stress, intolerance of uncertainty, and mindfulness, as well as potential gender differences. The study involved 425 emerging adults, with a majority of female participants. Anxiety and stress levels were found to be mild, with anxiety tending towards a moderate level in women. Gender differences were observed solely within the dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty, with women displaying higher levels of intolerance. For women, all of the measured variables correlated as expected; stress and anxiety showed moderate positive relationships with the dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty but negative ones with mindfulness. Furthermore, the dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty were negatively correlated with mindfulness in the female sample. Whereas for men, only anxiety and stress correlated positively, and stress also exhibited a negative relationship with mindfulness. Additionally, the dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty showed low negative correlations with mindfulness. Significant predictors for anxiety were inhibitory anxiety, as one of the dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty and mindfulness. On the other hand, all of the measured predictors were statistically significant for stress, indicating that being intolerant of uncertainty and less mindful were associated with higher stress levels. An identifying factor contributing to anxiety and stress during EA, for both men and women, is essential because it increases our understanding, which may lead to more efficient prevention and treatment strategies.
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
Cites 8
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Students and Teachers Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a School-Embedded Pilot Study Frontiers in Psychology April 26, 2016
- Positive Psychological States in the Arc from Mindfulness to Self-Transcendence: Extensions of the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory and Applications to Addiction and Chronic Pain Treatment Current Opinion in Psychology January 14, 2019
and 3 more in the library