Associations of Five Facets of Mindfulness With Self-Regulation in College Students
Abstract
Mindfulness has been associated with positive mental health functioning across a range of constructs, including self-regulation. Most of this research, however, has investigated mindfulness as a unidimensional domain. Few studies have examined the relationships between specific facets of mindfulness and particular dimensions of self-regulation, including delay of gratification and emotion regulation, despite relevance for mindfulness-based interventions. Two hundred and seventy-eight undergraduate college student participants completed a series of questionnaires examining dispositional mindfulness, difficulties with emotion regulation, and delay of gratification skills. Linear regressions investigated the associations between five facets of mindfulness and each of the two components of self-regulation. Findings revealed that describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreacting mindfulness facets were negatively associated with difficulties with emotion regulation, and that observing, acting with awareness, and nonjudging mindfulness facets were positively associated with delay of gratification skills, after accounting for the effects of the other mindfulness subscales. These preliminary findings may have important clinical relevance, as greater self-regulation has critical implications for social, emotional, and academic functioning.
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BackgroundResultInfluential
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“These fi ndings support previous research that indicates a relationship between negative relationship between mindfulness facets and dif fi culties in emotion regulation (MacDonald, 2021).”
BackgroundResultJudgment and reactivity are associated with mental distress among university students.
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- Authors
- MacDonald, H. Z.
- Affiliations
- Emmanuel College - Massachusetts (US)
- Corresponding author
- MacDonald, Helen Z.
- ORCID
- MacDonald, Helen Z.
- Venue
- Psychological Reports
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2020-06-30
- Volume
- 124
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1202-1219
- ISSN
- 0033-2941 (ISSN-L)
- 1558-691X
- OpenAlex
- W3040242011
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 1.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Mind wandering and attention
- Keywords
- mindfulness, self-regulation, delay of gratification, emotion regulation, trait mindfulness, mindfulness facets, university students, non-judgment, observation, acting with awareness, description
- MeSH terms
- Self-Control, Emotional Regulation, Adolescent, Female, Humans, Male, Personality, Students, Universities, Mindfulness
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