Nonattachment mediates the associations between mindfulness, well-being, and psychological distress: A meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach
Abstract
Research on nonattachment, a Buddhist psychological construct closely related to mindfulness, has burgeoned since the development of the Nonattachment Scale. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to investigate the mediating role of nonattachment in the relationship between mindfulness and well-being and psychological distress using a meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach. The respective associations of nonattachment and mindfulness with well-being and psychological distress, after controlling for each other, were also examined. Forty-one independent cross-sectional data sets with 24,704 individuals were coded. Results showed that nonattachment partially mediated the associations between mindfulness and well-being and psychological distress. Nonattachment and mindfulness were both significantly positively associated with well-being and negatively associated with psychological distress after controlling for each other. Given the present findings were based on cross-sectional data, more studies with rigorous research design, such as longitudinal, experimental, and intervention studies, should be conducted to further investigate the mediating effect of nonattachment between mindfulness with well-being and distress outcomes and establish causal relations between them. Future research directions regarding nonattachment and its application in mindfulness-based interventions were discussed.
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Yu, B. C. L., Mak, W. W. S., Chio, F. H. N., Sik, H. T., & Chan, R. M. K. (2025) · Applied Research in Quality of Life · doi:10.1007/s11482-025-10443-z · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…et al., 2004; Ber-nstein et al., 2015; Dreyfus, 2013; Grabovac et al., 2011), its mechanisms in human functioning (e.g., Shapiro et al., 2006; Ho et al., 2022 ), its effectiveness in health promotion, illness prevention, and clinical treatment (Dawson et al., 2020; Goldberg et al., 2018;…”
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“Structural equation modeling assessed whether depressive symptoms mediated the pain/sleep effects on functional outcomes, and also evaluated alternative pathways with pain or sleep disturbance as mediators 24,25 .”
Could Mindful Meditation be a Routine Therapeutic Intervention in Practice?
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“Studies have discovered that consistent engagement in mindful meditation can result in heightened self-awareness, improved attention and concentration, and an enhanced sense of inner tranquility (4, 5).”
BackgroundExploring mental health literacy on twitter: A machine learning approach
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Zhu, J. Y., Zhang, Y., He, X., & Luo, Y. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02673-x · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Consequently, those with high levels of nonattachment demonstrate greater psychological flexibility (Watson & Howell, 2023) and experience increased well-being (e.g., Ho et al., 2022; Montero-Marin et al., 2016; Moussa et al., 2022; Sahdra et al., 2010; Whitehead et al., 2018b; Zhang et al., 2021).”
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“…including greater emotion regulation (Du et al., 2019; Roemer et al., 2015; Van Der Gucht et al., 2019) and executive function (Im et al., 2021), more effective stress management (Creswell & Lindsay, 2014), and greater health and well-being (Bowen et al., 2014; Gu et al., 2015; Ho et al., 2022).”
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“…is associated with a range of positive psychological outcomes, including greater wellbeing, self-compassion, and resilience, and lower levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma-related symptoms (Bhambhani & Cabral, 2016; Feliu-Soler et al., 2016; Ho et al., 2022; Whitehead et al., 2020).”
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“Ho et al. (2022) conducted a meta-analysis encompassing 30 studies and 41 independent datasets, establishing a significant association between nonattachment and overall well-being.”
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Yu, B. C. L., Mak, W. W. S., Fashi, C. L., Wong, V. P. Y., Lam, I. C. C., Lee, J., & Chan, K. K. Y. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.30009
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Review: The ritual effect: From habit to ritual, harness the surprising power of everyday actions
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“Since mindfulness has been shown to help cultivate a greater capacity for non-attachment to mediate psychological distress (Ho et al., 2022), there’s a case for such awareness being a critical ingredient to navigating ritual’s amplifying effect on emotions.”
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The non-attached dancing body: A qualitative study in Gaga people
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The Dispositional Approach to Mindfulness: Measures, Processes, Correlates, and Questions
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Handbook of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation: Introduction to the Volume
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“20 The attachment style is a foundational construct in developmental psychology, and it exerts a profound influence on emotion regulation and inter-personal dynamics, both of which are elaborately associated with mental health outcomes.”
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“Many studies have emphasized that collectivistic and individualistic cultural orientations shape different experiences and expressions of mental health stigma (Yang et al., 2007; Ran et al., 2021; Ho et al., 2022).”
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Promoting Nature Connectedness: Insights into the Roles of Mindfulness and Nonattachment
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“Mindfulness also promotes nonat-tachment (Ho et al., 2022 ), defined as a “flexible, balanced way of relating to one’s experiences without clinging to or suppressing them” (Sahdra et al., 2016), another factor negatively associated with psychological distress (Bhambhani & Cabral, 2016).”
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The longitudinal mediating role of mindfulness between non-attachment and fragility of happiness
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“According to Ho et al. ( 2022 ), western and Buddhist psy - chology perceive attachment differently.”
InfluentialYu, B. C. L., Chio, F. H. N., Sik, H. T., Mak, W. W. S., Chen, S. X., Peng, S. X., & Cheng, S. K. L. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02976-7
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Assessing the efficacy of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention to increase nonattachment
Zappelli, N., Elphinstone, B., & Whitehead, R. E. (2026) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2026.2751654
- Authors
- Ho, C. Y. Y., Yu, B. C. L., & Mak, W. W. S.
- Affiliations
- Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Corresponding author
- Mak, Winnie W.S.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology Review
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-07
- Volume
- 95
- Pages
- 102175
- ISSN
- 0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4281842625
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 1.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- non-attachment, mindfulness, well-being, psychological distress, mediation, Buddhist psychology, mindfulness-based interventions
- MeSH terms
- Latent Class Analysis, Psychological Distress, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Mindfulness
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