Measuring mindfulness and examining its relationship with alcohol use and negative consequences.

Abstract

Mindfulness has been proposed as a useful adjunct to alcohol abuse treatment. However, very little research has examined the basic relationship between alcohol use and mindfulness. Inconsistency in definition and measurement of mindfulness across studies makes research difficult to interpret and conduct. Therefore, the current research sought to validate an emerging mindfulness measure, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and examine its relationship with alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences among a sample of 316 college-aged adults. The purported factor structure of the FFMQ was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine relations among mindfulness, alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences. Consistent with past research, results supported the five-factor structure of the FFMQ. SEM analyses revealed that two awareness-based factors of mindfulness were negatively related to alcohol use. After controlling for alcohol use, one acceptance-based factor (non-judging of thoughts and feelings) was negatively related to negative consequences (all ps < .05). The results reported here inform the burgeoning development of mindfulness-based addiction treatment and provide additional psychometric validation of the FFMQ.

Zen and the art of sex: examining associations among mindfulness, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction in dating relationships

“…Future studies might consider using stratified sampling procedures to obtain a more diverse range of participants' relationship functioning, sexual satisfaction, and trait mindfulness. Finally, future studies might consider examining additional variables that have been shown to be associated with individuals' levels of trait mindfulness (e.g., alcohol use; Fernandez, Wood, Stein, & Rossi, 2010), as these variables might influence or mediate the effects of mindfulness on dating partners' relational outcomes. Despite these limitations, the current study provides the first empirical exploratory examination of how the five facets of mindfulness are differentially associated with relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction in dating relationships, and suggest that increased sexual satisfaction may be one mechanism through which they contribute to relationship satisfaction.…”

Partner-specific anger management as a mediator of the relation between mindfulness and female perpetrated dating violence.

“…Research has demonstrated that these facets are unique and certain facets are more strongly associated with specific outcomes. The act with awareness and nonreactivity facets, both characterized by automatic and emotionally-driven behavior, are more strongly associated with destructive behaviors such as alcohol use and impulsivity (Fernandez, Wood, Stein, & Rossi, 2010; Peters, Erisman, Upton, Baer, & Roemer, 2011), whereas the nonjudging facet has been shown to be associated with decreased rumination (Lykins & Baer, 2009). …”

A meta-analysis of the relationship between trait mindfulness and substance use behaviors

“…This could account for the overall small relationship between trait mindfulness and substance use behaviors found in prior studies. Indeed, the five facets of mindfulness have been shown to be differentially related with substance use behaviors—with acting with awareness, non-judgment, and non-reactivity being the facets most frequently related to reduced substance use behaviors (Bodenlos et al, 2013; Fernandez et al, 2010; Leigh and Neighbors, 2009; Murphy and MacKillop, 2012). Additionally, trait mindfulness might be differentially related to distinct substance use behaviors (Black et al, 2011; Fernandez et al, 2010; Robinson, 2010).…”