Mindfulness moderates the relation between trauma and anxiety symptoms in college students
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the relations between trauma exposure and anxiety and depression among college students, and to determine whether trait mindfulness may moderate these relations. PARTICIPANTS: Self-report survey data from 2,336 college sophomores were drawn from a larger university-wide study ("Spit for Science"). METHODS: We constructed multiple linear regression models using past-year trauma exposure, trait mindfulness, and their multiplicative interaction to predict current anxiety and depressive symptom severity, while controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Mindfulness was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety symptom severity. Trauma was a significant predictor of anxiety, but not depression, and high levels of mindfulness attenuated the association between trauma exposure and higher anxiety symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: These results have implications for the treatment and prevention of anxiety among trauma-exposed college students and provide a basis for further research into the mechanisms through which mindfulness may facilitate positive mental health.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Mindfulness moderates the relationship between trauma and anxiety symptoms in college students.
“Additional findings have reported that mindfulness moderates the relationship between trauma and anxiety symptoms in college students [15].”
From COVID-19 Victimization Experience and College Students’ Mobile Phone Addiction: A Moderated Mediation Effect of Future Anxiety and Mindfulness (2022) · cites this paper as [15]
Mindfulness played a moderating role in the relationship between trauma and anxiety symptoms in college students, with high levels attenuating the effect of trauma on anxiety symptoms.
“In their empirical study including 2336 college students, Tubbs et al. [15] observed that mindfulness played a moderating role in the relationship between trauma and anxiety symptoms. In particular, high levels of mindfulness attenuated the effect of trauma on anxiety symptoms.”
From COVID-19 Victimization Experience and College Students’ Mobile Phone Addiction: A Moderated Mediation Effect of Future Anxiety and Mindfulness (2022) · cites this paper as [15]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing
R Core Team (2000) · doi:10.32614/r.manuals · Cited by 355,706 · see citing works
Harris, P. A., Taylor, R., Thielke, R., Payne, J., Gonzalez, N., & Conde, J. G. (2009) · Journal of Biomedical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.jbi.2008.08.010 · Cited by 51,384 · see citing works
The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822 · Cited by 13,448 · see citing works
Kessler, R. C. (1994) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1994.03950010008002 · Cited by 12,370 · see citing works
Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. T. (2003) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.10113 · Cited by 11,793 · see citing works
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey
Kessler, R. C. (1995) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1995.03950240066012 · Cited by 10,379 · see citing works
(1999) · Cited by 7,995 · see citing works
The effect of mindfulness based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta analytic review
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0018555 · Cited by 3,846 · see citing works
Handbook of personality theory and research
Wilson, G. (1991) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/0191-8869(91)90043-b · Cited by 3,552 · see citing works
Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students
Hunt, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2010) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008 · Cited by 1,949 · see citing works
Kendler, K. S., Prescott, C. A., Myers, J., & Neale, M. C. (2003) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.60.9.929 · Cited by 1,868 · see citing works
Psychometric Properties of the Life Events Checklist
Gray, M. J., Litz, B., Hsu, J. L., & Lombardo, T. W. (2004) · Assessment (Odessa, Fla.) · doi:10.1177/1073191104269954 · Cited by 1,853 · see citing works
Benjet, C., Bromet, E., Karam, E. G., Kessler, R. C., McLaughlin, K. A., Ruscio, A. M., Shahly, V., Stein, D. J., Petukhova, M., Hill, E., et al. (2016) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291715001981 · Cited by 1,458 · see citing works
The Epidemiology of Trauma, PTSD, and Other Posttrauma Disorders
Breslau, N. (2009) · Trauma, Violence, & Abuse · doi:10.1177/1524838009334448 · Cited by 810 · see citing works
Malouff, J., Thorsteinsson, E., & Schutte, N. (2005) · Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10862-005-5384-y · Cited by 660 · see citing works
Comorbidity of anxiety and depression in youth: Implications for treatment and prevention.
Garber, J., & Weersing, V. R. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2010.01221.x · Cited by 587 · see citing works
Vøllestad, J., Nielsen, M. B., & Nielsen, G. H. (2012) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.2011.02024.x · Cited by 459 · see citing works
Shapiro, S. L., Brown, K. W., Thoresen, C., & Plante, T. G. (2011) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20761 · Cited by 440 · see citing works
Mindfulness, spirituality, and health-related symptoms
Carmody, J., Reed, G., Kristeller, J., & Merriam, P. (2008) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2007.06.015 · Cited by 394 · see citing works
Desrosiers, A., Vine, V., Klemanski, D. H., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2013) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22124 · Cited by 392 · see citing works
Conceptualizing mindfulness and acceptance as components of psychological resilience to trauma
Thompson, R. W., Arnkoff, D. B., & Glass, C. R. (2011) · Trauma, Violence, & Abuse · doi:10.1177/1524838011416375 · Cited by 387 · see citing works
The structure and predictive validity of the internalizing disorders.
Eaton, N. R., Krueger, R. F., Markon, K. E., Keyes, K. M., Skodol, A. E., Wall, M., Hasin, D. S., & Grant, B. F. (2013) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0029598 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Traumatic events among undergraduate students: Prevalence and associated symptoms.
Frazier, P., Anders, S., Perera, S., Tomich, P., Tennen, H., Park, C., & Tashiro, T. (2009) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0016412 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Joint factors in self-reports and ratings: Neuroticism, extraversion and openness to experience
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1983) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/0191-8869(83)90146-0 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
(2013) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm05 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
The aggressive characteristics of abused and neglected children
Reidy, T. J. (1977) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/1097-4679(197710)33:4 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Dick, D. M., Nasim, A., Edwards, A. C., Salvatore, J. E., Cho, S. B., Adkins, A. E., Meyers, J. L., Yan, J., Cooke, M. E., Clifford, J. S., et al. (2014) · Frontiers in Genetics · doi:10.3389/fgene.2014.00047 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Self-citationAmstadter, A. B., & Vernon, L. L. (2008) · Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma · doi:10.1080/10926770802403236 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Self-citation(2013) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm04 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Bernstein, A., Tanay, G., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.25.2.99 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [30]Derogatis LE, Cleary PA. Confirmation of the dimensional structure of the SCL-90: A study in construct validation. J Clin Psychol. 1977; 33(4): 981– 989.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Dvořáková, K., Greenberg, M. T., & Roeser, R. W. (2018) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.2850 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Davies, E. A., Read, J., & Shevlin, M. E. (2021) · Higher Education · doi:10.1007/s10734-021-00774-9 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
The Association between Mindfulness and Resilience among University Students: A Meta-Analysis
Liu, X., Wang, Q., & Zhou, Z. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su141610405 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-Compassion as a Resource of Resilience
Austin, J., Drossaert, C. H. C., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2023) · Mindfulness in behavioral health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_10 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Chen, L., Li, J., & Huang, J. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19137578 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Additional findings have reported that mindfulness moderates the relationship between trauma and anxiety symptoms in college students [15].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialMirabito, G., & Verhaeghen, P. (2024) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2060708 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Serving Students Takes a Toll: Self-Care, Health, and Professional Quality of Life
Preston, P. J., Peterson, H. J., Sanchez, D., Carlos, A. C., & Reed, A. (2021) · NASPA Journal · doi:10.1080/19496591.2020.1853558 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Beshai, S., Salimuddin, S., Refaie, N., & Maierhoffer, J. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-02008-0 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Guo, T., Jiang, D., Kuang, J., Hou, M., Gao, Y., Herold, F., Taylor, A., Huang, Y., & Chen, Y.-M. (2023) · Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101743 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Leppma, M., & Darrah, M. (2022) · International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology · doi:10.1080/0020739x.2022.2054740 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
LA SANTÉ DES ÉTUDIANTS À L’UNIVERSITÉ COMME DÉTERMINANT DE LA RÉUSSITE ACADÉMIQUE
Romo, L., Nann, S., Scanferla, E., Esteban, J., Riazuelo, H., & Kern, L. (2019) · Revue québécoise de psychologie · doi:10.7202/1065909ar · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Guerrini, C. J., Lewellyn, M. J., Majumder, M. A., Trejo, M. B., Canfield, I., & McGuire, A. L. (2019) · BMC Medical Ethics · doi:10.1186/s12910-019-0419-1 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Vargas, A. E. O. (2022) · Interdisciplinaria Revista de Psicología y Ciencias Afines · doi:10.16888/interd.2022.39.2.21 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Masuda, A., Barile, J. P., Spencer, S. D., Juberg, M., Martin, T. J., & Vibell, J. (2022) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2020.1759607 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
McGrew, S. J., Raines, A. M., Walker, R. L., Leonard, S. J., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2022) · Journal of Dual Diagnosis · doi:10.1080/15504263.2022.2160037 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Burger, J. W., Bantjes, J. R., Derman, W. E., Whitesman, S., & Gomez‐Ezeiza, J. (2021) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2021.1920601 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Ibañez, G. E., Sánchez, M., Villalba, K., & Amaro, H. D. L. A. (2022) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03931-1 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
HIV Patients’ Mindfulness Moderates How Death Anxiety and Depression Impact Life Quality
Aliche, C. J., & Idemudia, E. S. (2024) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.1177/00302228241310072 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Ng, B., & Kong, L. C. (2022) · Knowledge studies in higher education · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-05716-8_13 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Yin, Y., Li, B., Hu, X., Guo, X., Yang, C., & Luo, L. (2023) · Journal of Intelligence · doi:10.3390/jintelligence11070132 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Chen, J., Zhang, C., Zhou, Y., & Xu, W. (2023) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/pits.23057 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM-5 (CPSS-5)
Haktanır, A., Lenz, A. S., & Kurnaz, M. F. (2024) · Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development · doi:10.1080/07481756.2024.2318552 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Relationships among athletes’ challenge and threat perceptions, mindfulness, and anxiety
Karademir, M. B., Çalışır, M., YILDIZ, A. B., Tolukan, E., Zararsız, Ş., Aydın, B., & Gülşen, D. B. A. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1811878 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Mindful practices in higher education classrooms: Impact on student experiences
Schwind, J., Beanlands, H. J., Wang, A. H., & Aksenchuk, S. (2023) · International Health Trends and Perspectives · doi:10.32920/ihtp.v3i2.1807 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
How Can We Help? Adult Learning as Self‐Care in COVID‐19
Linkous, H. M. (2021) · New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development · doi:10.1002/nha3.20317 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
The Role of Counselor Trainees' Co-Regulated Mindfulness: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Study
Warwick, L. (2023) · doi:10.12794/metadc2137602 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Wang, S. S., Blayney, J. A., Jaffe, A. E., Stappenbeck, C. A., George, W. H., & Davis, K. C. (2026) · Journal of Child Sexual Abuse · doi:10.1080/10538712.2026.2634242 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Modeling the Relationship between Stress and Substance Abuse with the Mediation of Meaning in Life
Kheirabadi, H., Jajarmi, M., & Bakhshipoor, A. (2020) · فصلنامه علمی و پژوهشی اعتیادپژوهی · doi:10.29252/etiadpajohi.14.57.57 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Comella, S. (2020) · University of North Florida Digital Commons (University of North Florida) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Barbera, E. R., & Yalch, M. M. (2026) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2025.2599754
Drinking Behavior Among College Students: Interventions to Increase Mindfulness and Social Capital
Anderson, J. C., Gardner, A. J., & Hunt, B. P. (2021) · Journal of Social Behavioral and Health Sciences · doi:10.5590/jsbhs.2021.15.1.05
الیقظة العقلیة وعلاقتها بالتسویف الأکادیمى لدى طلاب کلیة التربیة فى ضوء بعض المتغیرات الدیموغرافیة
الحمید, د. م. ح. ف. ع. (2021) · دراسات عربية في التربية و علم النفس · doi:10.21608/saep.2021.145965
نمر, م. ع. (2021) · Maǧallaẗ Kulliyyaẗ Al-Adāb bi Al-Wadī Al-Ǧadīd/Maǧallaẗ Kulliyyaẗ Al-Adāb bi Al-Wadī Al-Ǧadīd · doi:10.21608/mkwn.2021.90602.1019
Drinking Behavior Among College Students: Interventions to Increase Mindfulness and Social Capital
Anderson, J. C., Gardner, A. J., & Hunt, B. P. (2021) · Journal of Social Behavioral and Health Sciences · doi:10.5590/jsbhs.2020.15.1.05
Investigating trait mindfulness in women with a history of unwanted sexual contact
Cole, S., & Brotto, L. A. (2024) · Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/0092623x.2024.2343282
Korkmaz, B., Keloğlu, F. N., Mustafali, U., Ergun, C. C., Atay, B., Sire, B., Salmanova, A., Aydoğdu, S., & Burgin, G. (2024) · Klinik Psikoloji Dergisi · doi:10.57127/kpd.26024438.1497605
Chen, L., Gao, S.-Y., & Pan, Y. H. (2025) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/21582440251386637
Mentoring to Cultivate Mindfulness and Support Wellbeing in a Community College Environment
Arnold, K. (2024) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/979-8-88730-852-420251006
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Children And Adolescent: A Systematic Review
Karataş, H., & Tok, E. S. S. (2025) · Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry · doi:10.18863/pgy.1742265
Satish, G., & Kumar, N. (2026) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2026.2646756
- Authors
- Tubbs, J. D., Savage, J. E., Adkins, A. E., Amstadter, A. B., & Dick, D. M.
- Affiliations
- Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tubbs, Justin D.
- Venue
- Journal of American College Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-09-13
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 235-245
- ISSN
- 0164-4300 (ISSN-L)
- 0744-8481
- 1940-3208
- PMC
- PMC6330246
- OpenAlex
- W2826383066
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 4.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of American College Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Virginia Commonwealth University (P20AA017828, R37AA011408, K02AA018755, and P50AA022537)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (90)
- National Center for Research Resources
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- mindfulness, trauma exposure, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, university students, moderation, mental health, anxiety prevention
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Behavior Therapy, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Students, United States, Universities, Wounds and Injuries, Young Adult, Self Report, Mindfulness
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
