The relationship between mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and symptom severity in persons with schizophrenia-spectrum-disorders: a cross-sectional study.
Inge Hahne, Julia Segerer, Marco Zierhut, Niklas Bergmann, Thi Minh Tam Ta, Eric Hahn, Kerem Böge
Scientific Reports June 4, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-03380-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 94 |
| Population | Persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Depressive symptoms Mediation Negative symptoms Psychological flexibility Schizophrenia spectrum disorders Symptom reduction |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Psychological flexibility mediated the relationship between mindfulness and both negative and depressive symptoms in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. |
Abstract
The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in enhancing mental well-being and reducing positive, negative, and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) has been increasingly supported by evidence. However, the underlying mechanisms of MBIs require further examination. Psychological flexibility (PF), typically assessed through cognitive fusion, has been associated with clinical change in MBIs. This study employed a cross-sectional design to explore the interplay between mindfulness, PF, and symptom severity in SSD. A total of N = 94 persons with SSD were included in the analysis. Correlation and mediation analyses were performed using PROCESS analysis, with positive, negative, and depressive symptom severity as outcome variables, measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), respectively. The findings indicated that mindfulness was significantly negatively correlated with positive and depressive symptoms and significantly positively correlated with PF. A significant mediating effect of PF was identified in the relationship between mindfulness and both negative and depressive symptoms. This study supports previous research suggesting PF as a possible mechanism of action in MBIs. However, future research utilizing longitudinal designs, more nuanced analyses, and mixed method approaches in assessment tools is warranted.
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 3
- Mindfulness Processes and User Experiences in a Randomized Controlled Trial of the Mindfulness Coach App for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Mindfulness July 11, 2026
- Validation of the cognitive fusion questionnaire in regular meditators and persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Frontiers in Psychology 2026
- Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on insight and stigma in patients with schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025
Cites 16
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the treatment of current depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis Cognitive Behaviour Therapy February 8, 2019
- Meditation and psychosis. A trigger or a cure? Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy September 27, 2015
- Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychotic Symptoms in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: The Mediating Roles of Rumination and Negative Emotion Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2022
- Mindfulness, psychological flexibility and their relationship with psychopathology in persons with schizophrenia-spectrum-disorders and healthy controls - A multicenter cross-sectional study. Psychiatry Research December 1, 2023
and 11 more in the library