Does mindfulness mediate the association between attachment dimensions and Borderline Personality Disorder features? A study of Italian non-clinical adolescents
Andrea Fossati, Judith A. Feeney, Cesare Maffei, Serena Borroni
Attachment & human development October 19, 2011 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2011.608993 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 501 |
| Population | Italian high-school students (non-clinical adolescents) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 27 |
| Key findings | Low Confidence and high Need for Approval and Preoccupation with Relationships attachment scores were associated with more BPD features (adjusted R² = .2). Mindfulness was negatively associated with Need for Approval and Relationships as Secondary scales (adjusted R² = .14) and with BPD features (adjusted R² = .15). The association between Need for Approval and BPD features was fully mediated by mindfulness, which the authors say is consistent with a mentalization-deficit account of the attachment–BPD link. |
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess whether mindfulness mediates the association between attachment dimensions and features of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in a sample of 501 Italian high-school students. Low scores on Confidence and high scores on Need for Approval and Preoccupation with Relationships attachment scales was significantly related to the number of BPD features (adjusted R(2) = .2, p < .001). Further, mindfulness scores were negatively associated with Need for Approval and Relationships as Secondary attachment scales (adjusted R(2) = .14, p < .001). Finally, mindfulness scores were negatively associated with the number of BPD features (adjusted R(2) = .15, p < .001). Mediation analyses showed that the relationship between Need for Approval and BPD was completely mediated by the mindfulness effects. Our results in non-clinical adolescents are consistent with Bateman and Fonagy's (2004) hypothesis that the link between attachment disturbances and BPD features may be mediated by deficits in mentalization, at least as these are operationalized by low mindfulness.
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 4
- Dispositional mindfulness: Dissociable affective and cognitive processes. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review February 1, 2024
- Relationship between effortful control and facets of mindfulness in meditators, non-meditators and individuals with borderline personality disorder. Personality and mental health August 2018
- The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Orientation and Mindfulness: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Mindfulness December 1, 2017
- Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological Health: a Systematic Review Mindfulness July 1, 2017
Cites 4
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2002
- Perils and promise in defining and measuring mindfulness: Observations from experience. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004