Is emotion regulation the process underlying the relationship between low mindfulness and psychosocial distress?

Abstract

Emotion regulation deficits are implicated in many forms of psychosocial distress. The aim of the present research was to investigate whether emotion regulation was the process underlying the well-established association between low dispositional mindfulness and greater psychosocial distress. Two studies are presented that examined whether non-acceptance of emotion and limited access to emotion regulation strategies were the processes underlying the association between low mindfulness and depression, anxiety, stress, general psychological symptoms, interpersonal distress, and social role difficulties in a student sample (Study 1) and a clinical sample (Study 2). In Study 1, there were indirect effects of mindfulness and symptom distress, depression, anxiety, stress, and social role difficulties through non-acceptance of emotions. There were indirect associations between mindfulness and symptom distress, interpersonal distress, social role difficulties, depression, anxiety, and stress through lack of access to emotion regulation strategies. In Study 2, there were indirect associations between mindfulness and psychological symptom distress, interpersonal distress, depression, anxiety, and stress through lack of access to emotion regulation strategies. In brief, emotion regulation difficulties are, at least in part, the process underlying the association of low dispositional mindfulness and psychosocial distress.

Mindfulness and emotional regulation as sequential mediators in the relationship between attachment security and depression

“…The results confirmed previous studies indicating association between the key variables (Goodall, et al, 2012;Pepping, et al, 2014;Siegel, 2007). Further, the analysis revealed that a sequential relationship between mindfulness and emotional regulation fully mediated the relationship between three of the identified attachment styles: secure, preoccupied and dismissive.…”

“…The Non acceptance and Awareness factors of the DERS, which appear to share similarity with the FFMQ were removed and the mediation analysis conducted again (Pepping, et al, 2014). The pattern of results remained unchanged indicating both variables contributed to the sequential mediational model.…”

The origins of individual differences in dispositional mindfulness

“…High dispositional mindfulness is also associated with romantic relationship satisfaction (Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell, & Rogge, 2007;Wachs & Cordova, 2007), initial romantic attraction in women (Janz, Pepping, & Halford, 2015) and satisfaction with interpersonal relationships (Pepping, O'Donovan, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Hanisch, 2014). In brief, individuals higher in dispositional mindfulness fare better than their less mindful counterparts on a wide range of psychological and social outcomes.…”

Mindfulness beyond wellbeing: Emotion regulation and team‐member exchange in the workplace

“…The wide uptake of mindfulness-based interventions in clinical settings (Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004) has been followed by organisational practitioners advertising the benefits of mindfulness to employees and leaders (Hafenbrack, 2017). Additionally, there is a need to explore the mechanisms that explain how mindfulness leads to outcomes; this study will contribute to the evidence for emotion regulation as one such mechanism (Pepping, O'Donovan, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Hanisch, 2014). The aim of this study is to extend the empirical evidence base for mindfulness in the workplace by investigating the role of mindfulness and interpersonal relationships, specifically in co-worker relationships.…”