Purpose: Mindfulness is defined as intentional, present-moment, nonjudgmental awareness. Previous studies have proposed that mindfulness practice may benefit people who stutter. This study aimed to test the relationship between levels of dispositional mindfulness in people who stutter and the impact of stuttering and whether self-compassion and the metacognitive ability of shifting to an objective perspective (decentering) mediate this relationship. It is hypothesized that greater dispositional mindfulness is associated with attenuated negative impact of stuttering on a person's life through a higher capability to shift into an objective and compassionate perspective. Method: A total of 150 Israeli adults who stutter completed a full online survey in Hebrew to assess their levels of dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, decentering capability, and impact of stuttering on their lives. The relationships between constructs were assessed using Pearson's correlation and mediation analysis. Results: The adverse impact of stuttering was negatively and moderately associated with dispositional mindfulness, such that individuals with greater self-reported dispositional mindfulness reported fewer reactions to stuttering, difficulty in communication, and higher quality of life. This relationship was fully and sequentially mediated via decentering and self-compassion, which were also negatively and moderately associated with the impact of stuttering. Conclusions: People who stutter with greater dispositional mindfulness have an increased ability to view their experiences in a more objective and compassionate manner, which is associated with an attenuated impact of stuttering on their lives. As these capabilities can be cultivated through practice, this study proposes mindfulness practice as an additional beneficial tool for people who stutter.

Purpose: Mindfulness is defined as intentional present-moment non-judgmental awareness. Previous studies have proposed that mindfulness practice might benefit people who stutter. The current study aims to test the relationship between levels of dispositional mindfulness in people who stutter and the negative impact of stuttering, and whether self-compassion and the meta-cognitive ability of shifting from subjective to objective perspective (decentering) mediate this relation. It is hypothesized that greater dispositional mindfulness allows the person who stutters to shift to an objective and compassionate perspective and react with less judgment to moments of stuttering, attenuating the negative impact of stuttering on experience. Method: An online survey was administered to adults who stutter (N=186) to assess their levels of dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, decentering capability, and overall stuttering experience. The relation between the constructs was assessed via Pearson correlation and mediation analysis. Results: One hundred and fifty adults completed the full survey. The adverse effect of stuttering was correlated negatively with dispositional mindfulness, such that individuals with greater self-reported dispositional mindfulness also reported fewer negative effects of stuttering on their lives. This relation was found to be fully mediated by levels of decentering and self-compassion. Decentering partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and self-compassion, while self-compassion alone was found to directly affect the experience of stuttering. Conclusion: People who stutter with greater dispositional mindfulness have an increased ability to view their experience in a more objective and compassionate way, and this attenuates the adverse effects of stuttering on their subjective experience. As these capabilities can be cultivated through practice, it substantiates the potential benefits of mindfulness practice for people who stutter.