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Does dispositional mindfulness buffer the links of stressful life experiences with adolescent adjustment and sleep?
Author(s) -
LucasThompson Rachel Graham,
Seiter Natasha Sierra,
Miller Reagan Lee,
Crain Tori Laurelle
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.2980
Subject(s) - mindfulness , psychology , stressor , sleep onset latency , context (archaeology) , clinical psychology , stress (linguistics) , sleep (system call) , developmental psychology , sleep quality , psychiatry , cognition , computer science , operating system , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , biology
According to the mindfulness stress buffering hypothesis, mindfulness protects individuals from negative effects of stress. Prior investigations focused on the potential of mindfulness for reducing internalizing symptoms for adults in the context of general stress. We provided the first test of the mindfulness stress buffering hypothesis in the context of both adolescent general stress and interparental conflict (IPC) in relation to internalizing and externalizing, as well as sleep. Participants were 150 adolescents who reported dispositional mindfulness, perceived stress, IPC, internalizing, and externalizing. Participants wore an actigraph which objectively measured sleep for a week. Results suggested a stress buffering effect of mindfulness for the effects of general stress on internalizing symptoms at trend levels. Mindfulness stress buffering was not evident in relation to externalizing or sleep, or for the effect of IPC appraisals on adjustment or sleep. Greater IPC appraisals were associated with greater sleep onset latency, but mindfulness was not associated with objective measures of sleep quality or quantity. This study indicates that mindfulness may protect adolescents from the internalizing problems that often result from general stress, but that these stress buffering effects of mindfulness may not generalize to all types of stressors or adjustment/health outcomes.