The Protective Role of Dispositional Mindfulness on Cyber Dating Abuse: A 6-Month Longitudinal Study.

Dispositional mindfulness has been related to a decreased propensity to aggressive behaviors toward others, including dating partners. Nevertheless, research in the context of romantic relationships is scarce, based on cross-sectional designs and offline (face to face) aggression. Thus, this 6-month longitudinal study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by examining the predictive role of dispositional mindfulness facets (observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reacting) in the perpetration of cyber dating abuse (CDA) behaviors in adolescents. The moderator role of the dispositional mindfulness facets in the perpetuation over time of cyber aggression toward the partner was also explored. Participants were 501 high school students (54.1% girls; mean age: 14.17 years, SD = 1.39) from different regions of Spain who completed self-report measures about CDA and dispositional mindfulness at two time points with a 6-month interval between them. Path analysis showed that the acting with awareness mindfulness facet predicted a decrease in the perpetration of CDA 6 months later. Moreover, non-reacting showed a moderator role in the perpetuation over time of CDA. In particular, adolescents with higher scores on non-reacting, evidenced a lower perpetuation of CDA. Mindfulness-based interventions can be a valuable tool in preventing cyber aggression that occurs in adolescent dating relationships.

The Association between exposure to COVID-19, internalizing symptoms, and Dispositional Mindfulness in Adolescents: a longitudinal pre- and during-pandemic study.

This study examined the association between contact with COVID-19 and internalizing symptoms in Spanish adolescents, and the moderation and mediation roles of dispositional mindfulness. Adolescents (N = 383; 58% female; Mage = 15.62, SD = 1.32) completed measures of dispositional mindfulness (MAAS-A) and internalizing symptoms (DASS-21), other stressors different from COVID-19, and contact with COVID-19 twice, in October 2019 and 2020. Three profiles emerged according to their contact with COVID-19: (1) little/no contact, (2) knowing someone close (outside home) who was infected, hospitalized, or died, and (3) being or someone at home being infected and/or hospitalized. Compared to little/no contact, both contact profiles predicted dispositional mindfulness and anxiety; and profile 2 predicted stress. Dispositional mindfulness mediated the association between both contact profiles and depression and stress. This study suggests that contact with COVID-19 predicts increased internalizing symptoms in adolescents, which could be partially explained by the decrease in mindfulness levels.

The Association Between Dispositional Mindfulness and Need Threat Following Ostracism in Spanish Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Age.

BACKGROUND: Ostracism -being ignored and excluded- entails risks for adolescent mental health. Less is known about the factors that are negatively associated with the adverse consequences of ostracism. This study explored the association between dispositional mindfulness and need threat following social exclusion using the Cyberball paradigm. Sex and age were included as moderators of the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and need threat. Additionally, the factor structure of the Need Threat Scale (NTS) was analyzed in Spanish adolescents. METHOD: Participants (N = 750, 52.4% female; mean age = 14.51) completed a mindfulness questionnaire, were ostracized in the Cyberball game, and reported their need threat during this game. RESULTS: Dispositional mindfulness was negatively associated with need threat only in older adolescents (>15 years old). Although girls reported higher levels of need threat than boys, sex did not moderate the association between mindfulness and need threat. CONCLUSIONS: This research suggests that dispositional mindfulness is only associated with NTS in older adolescents and girls are more vulnerable to the negative consequence of ostracism.

Longitudinal Associations between Internalizing Symptoms, Dispositional Mindfulness, Rumination and Impulsivity in Adolescents.

Mindfulness has been associated with fewer negative mental health symptoms during adolescence, but fewer studies have examined longitudinal associations between mindfulness and symptoms in conjunction with two vulnerability factors for psychopathology with mindfulness: rumination and impulsivity. This study examined longitudinal associations between internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress), mindfulness, rumination, and impulsivity over a one-year period among 352 Spanish adolescents (57.4% girls; M = 14.47, SD = 1.34). Participants completed self-reported measures of symptoms, mindfulness, rumination, and impulsivity at two time points. Mindfulness negatively predicted stress and depressive symptoms, and a bidirectional negative association was found between mindfulness and impulsivity. Impulsivity positively predicted stress, and anxiety positively predicted depressive symptoms, stress, and rumination. This study highlights the importance of mindfulness as a protective factor and impulsivity and anxiety as risk factors for internalizing symptoms throughout adolescence. These findings build on previous studies that examined longitudinal associations between mindfulness and symptoms by including rumination and impulsivity's roles.

Internet-Risk Classes of Adolescents, Dispositional Mindfulness and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Mediational Model.

This study was primarily aimed at identifying classes of adolescents in relation to their probability of endorsing several risks associated with the Internet (cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, cyberdating abuse victimization, and perpetration, sexting, and grooming). The second objective was to examine a mediational model linking dispositional mindfulness, risk perception, exposure to antisocial content in the media, Internet-risk classes of adolescents, and health-related quality of life (HRQL). The sample comprised 3,076 adolescents (46.2% boys, ages between 12 and 21). Latent class analyses indicated the existence of five classes related to the probability of endorsing Internet risks: No risk (60.75%), only cyberbullying (25.5%), cyberbullying and cyberdating abuse (6.7%), all risks (4.3%), and sexual risk (2.9%). Three mindfulness facets, namely, acting with awareness, nonreacting, and nonjudging, were associated with all the classes of risks. This association was partially explained by the degree of exposure to antisocial content in the media and risk perception. Finally, membership in the Internet-risk classes was associated with a lower HRQL.

A Spanish adaptation of the mindfulness in parenting questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (MIPQ) is a self-report instrument to measure how much parents practice mindful parenting. The main aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the MIPQ. METHOD: A total of 271 parents of adolescents completed the MIPQ along with questionnaires about their mindfulness trait, parenting style, and their children's resilience and symptoms of depression. Their adolescent children completed questionnaires about their own depressive symptoms, their perception of their parents' parenting style, and their perceived stress. RESULTS: Factor analyses suggested a two-factor structure corresponding to Being in the Moment with the Child and Mindful Discipline. Moreover, the MIPQ showed good internal consistency and was related to parent's dispositional mindfulness and positive parenting as well as to adolescents' resilience and (negatively) to their depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: The Spanish version of the MIPQ exhibits good psychometric properties and is an easily applicable test for the assessment of mindful parenting.

Development of a Short Form of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Adolescents for Children and Adolescents.

The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) assesses several dimensions of mindfulness. The objective of this study was to develop a short version of the FFMQ for children and adolescents. The main sample consisted of 829 participants (51% boys; 10-18 years old). From this initial sample, 789 participants (49% boys) completed the FFMQ at a 6-month follow-up. A second independent sample (N = 418, 50% boys; 12-16 years old) was used to confirm the factor structure. Confirmatory factor analyses with the full version supported a structure composed of 5 correlated factors (1 per facet) plus 2 correlated method factors representing the method effect (positive and negative) of the items. From this model, the FFMQ-A-SF was derived, consisting of 25 items (5 per facet). The measure displayed adequate internal consistency, and invariance was confirmed over time and across different age groups. The analysis of the relationship between mindfulness facets and temperament and psychological problems provided additional evidence for the construct validity of the questionnaire. It is concluded that the FFMQ-A-SF presents acceptable validity and reliability in children and adolescents. However, the positive versus negative wording of the items could affect the responses of younger participants.

Dispositional Mindfulness Profiles in Adolescents and their Associations with Psychological Functioning and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Hormones.

Adolescence is often accompanied by an increase in stress and depression. Although there is considerable consensus about the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions to reduce these problems, the results for the role of dispositional mindfulness facets have been mixed. Recent studies have contributed to clarifying this role by identifying subtypes of individuals according to their profiles in mindfulness facets and examining the functioning of these profiles in relation to several self-reported indicators of wellbeing and health. The current study extends previous research by exploring mindfulness profiles in adolescents and by providing several sources of indicators (self-reports, parent-reports, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones) to examine the adaptive role of these profiles. A sample of 571 adolescents (50.61% girls; 12-17 years old) completed measures of mindfulness, depression, maladaptive schemas, and temperament (neuroticism, extraversion, and effortful control), and provided salivary samples for cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. In addition, 331 adolescents' parents completed measures of their children' temperaments. The results of latent profile analyses supported a three-profile solution: (1) moderate mindfulness (65.5%), (2) judgmental observing (24.2%), and (3) nonjudgmentally aware (10.3%). The judgmental observing profile was associated with a worse adjustment, indicated by higher depressive symptoms, maladaptive schemas, perceived stress, stress-associated hormones, and neuroticism, as well as lower scores on extroversion and effortful control. This profile was more frequent among the oldest adolescents. In contrast, the nonjudgmentally aware group presented a better adjustment and was more frequent among the youngest adolescents. These findings have implications for preventive interventions. Analyzing the specific profile of each adolescent can help improve individual intervention, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each adolescent.