Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation in Reducing Workplace Stress: A Moderated Mediation Study
Mohammad Tamzid Hossain
Journal of Management Matters October 8, 2026 DOI: 10.4038/jmm.v13i1.90 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quantitative cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 317 |
| Population | Employees in the healthcare, education, and corporate sectors |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that mindfulness was associated with enhanced emotional regulation, which in turn was associated with reduced workplace stress, and that trait anxiety and job demands moderated these relationships. The model explained 28% of the variance in emotional regulation and 44% of the variance in workplace stress. The authors argue that mindfulness-based interventions may be valuable for reducing occupational stress, especially among employees with higher trait anxiety or significant job demands. |
Abstract
This study explores how mindfulness helps to reduce workplace stress by regulating emotion with the use of a moderated mediation model. It also studies the moderating influences of trait anxiety and job demands. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was conducted with 317 employees who worked in the healthcare, education, and corporate sectors. The assessment of mindfulness, emotional regulation, workplace stress, trait anxiety, and job demands were conducted on the basis of validated scales. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS 4.1. The results indicated that mindfulness plays a very crucial role in enhancing emotional regulation, which, in turn, minimizes workplace stress. In addition, the connection between mindfulness and emotional regulation and work stress were moderated by the presence of trait anxiety and job demands, respectively. The model explains 28% of the variance in emotional regulation (R2 = 0.28) and 44% of the variance in workplace stress (R2 = 0.44). Such results highlight the value of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing occupational stress, especially among those with higher trait anxiety or working under significant demands. In line with this, organizations can incorporate mindfulness exercises to develop resiliency, emotional control, and overall employee wellness. The study contributes to stress research in the workplace by integrating mindfulness, emotional regulation, trait anxiety, and job demands in the same model, consequently producing theoretical and practical implications for stress management.
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 |