Mindfulness training and the mindfulness-stress buffering hypothesis: implications for adolescent stress
Date
2022
Authors
Allen, Margot, author
Lucas-Thompson, Rachel, advisor
Prince, Mark, committee member
Quirk, Kelley, committee member
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Abstract
The importance of addressing health outcomes associated with stress through managing stress is widely documented. The mindfulness-stress buffering hypothesis offers a potential solution for mitigating health outcomes associated with stress, but research examining mindfulness-stress buffering hypothesis in adolescent populations yields mixed results. To address inconsistency in the association between stress and mindfulness found in previous research, the current study examined whether participating in a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) allowed adolescents to remain mindful under stress through examining the association between stress and mindfulness both within and between-person before, after, and during an MBI. Between-person results indicated that, at baseline, there was a significant negative relationship between stress and mindfulness but that there was no significant association between stress and mindfulness after completion of an MBI; however, these associations were not significantly different from each other. Within-person, during the first three weeks of an MBI, there was a non-significant trend level positive relationship between mindfulness and stress; during the final three weeks, this positive association was significant. Results generally supported previous research that hypothesized that adolescents may not have the innate capacity to remain mindful when stressed, effectively using it as a buffer. Additionally, results indicated that adolescents may display more mindfulness when stressed, compared to their average levels of stress.
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Subject
mindfulness
adolescent
stress