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Trait Mindfulness in Relation to Emotional Self-Regulation and Executive Function

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Abstract

The present study examined relationships of trait mindfulness to indices of mood, executive functions, and emotion regulation in 153 university students of both genders aged 18–30 years. Participants completed a questionnaire battery consisting of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21), Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) scale, Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. As predicted, MAAS mindfulness scores were significantly positively related to NMR expectancies and negatively related to DASS Depression, Anxiety and Stress scores, all three FrSBe indices of prefrontal cortex dysfunction, BIS-11 impulsivity, and TAS-20 alexithymia. Findings are consistent with the notion that trait mindfulness reflects aspects of executive function and emotion regulation, processes dependent on the functional integrity of the prefrontal cortex. Such higher-order processes may underlie the widely reported associations between mindfulness and subjective well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4229, Australia

    Michael Lyvers, Chloe Makin, Evan Toms & Christina Samios

  2. Centre for Addiction Issues, Department of Substance Abuse, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Oslo, Norway

    Fred Arne Thorberg

  3. Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine University of Oslo, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Oslo, Norway

    Fred Arne Thorberg

Authors
  1. Michael Lyvers
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  2. Chloe Makin
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  3. Evan Toms
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  4. Fred Arne Thorberg
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  5. Christina Samios
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Correspondence to Michael Lyvers.

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Lyvers, M., Makin, C., Toms, E. et al. Trait Mindfulness in Relation to Emotional Self-Regulation and Executive Function. Mindfulness 5, 619–625 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0213-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0213-y

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