Mediating role of self-esteem on the relationship between mindfulness, anxiety, and depression

Abstract The current study aimed to examine the mediation effects of self-esteem on the association between mindfulness and anxiety and depression. A sample of 417 undergraduate students completed a packet of questionnaires that assessed mindfulness, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Correlation results indicated that mindfulness was associated with self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), mediational analyses showed that mindfulness exerted its indirect effect on anxiety and depression through self-esteem. A multi-group analysis showed that the mediational model was not moderated by gender and thus provided a preliminary support for the robustness of the final meditational model. The findings corroborate an important role of self-esteem in mindfulness exerting its beneficial effects on anxiety and depression.

[1]  R. Robins,et al.  The Development of Self-Esteem , 2014 .

[2]  Alice T. Sawyer,et al.  The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. , 2010, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[3]  Z. Segal,et al.  Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition , 2004 .

[4]  R. Baumeister,et al.  The nature and function of self-esteem: Sociometer theory , 2000 .

[5]  M. Posner,et al.  Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation , 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[6]  U. Orth,et al.  Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. , 2013, Psychological bulletin.

[7]  C. Pepping,et al.  The positive effects of mindfulness on self-esteem , 2013 .

[8]  Guillaume Fortin,et al.  Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis. , 2013, Clinical psychology review.

[9]  Brian L. Thompson,et al.  Mindfulness, Self-Esteem, and Unconditional Self-Acceptance , 2008 .

[10]  T. Little,et al.  To Parcel or Not to Parcel: Exploring the Question, Weighing the Merits , 2002 .

[11]  S. Koole.  The psychology of emotion regulation: An integrative review , 2009 .

[12]  Richie Poulton,et al.  Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. , 2006, Developmental psychology.

[13]  R. Ryan,et al.  The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[14]  Patricia McKinley,et al.  Argentine tango dance compared to mindfulness meditation and a waiting-list control: a randomised trial for treating depression. , 2012, Complementary therapies in medicine.

[15]  M. Antony,et al.  Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in clinical groups and a community sample. , 1998 .

[16]  Mark R. Leary,et al.  Individual differences in self-esteem: A review and theoretical integration , 2003 .

[17]  Crystal L. Park,et al.  A mindfulness model of affect regulation and depressive symptoms: Positive emotions, mood regulation expectancies, and self-acceptance as regulatory mechanisms , 2010 .

[18]  Joachim Stiensmeier-Pelster,et al.  Contingent self-esteem and vulnerability to depression: academic contingent self-esteem predicts depressive symptoms in students , 2015, Front. Psychol..

[19]  R. Ryan,et al.  Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects , 2007 .

[20]  M. Rosenberg.  Society and the adolescent self-image , 1966 .

[21]  Shelley E. Taylor,et al.  Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health. , 1988, Psychological bulletin.

[22]  W. H. Jones,et al.  Loneliness, Self-Concept, and Adjustment , 1981 .

[23]  S. Rauch,et al.  Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness , 2005, Neuroreport.

[24]  J. Alleva,et al.  On the Relation Between Mindfulness and Depressive Symptoms: Rumination as a Possible Mediator , 2012, Mindfulness.

[25]  R. Davidson,et al.  Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation , 2003, Psychosomatic medicine.

[26]  Z. Segal,et al.  Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. , 2000, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[27]  Neerja Pande,et al.  Mediating role of resilience in the impact of mindfulness on life satisfaction and affect as indices of subjective well-being , 2016 .

[28]  Xuqun You,et al.  Emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in Chinese university students: The mediating role of self-esteem and social support , 2012 .

[29]  J. Henry,et al.  The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. , 2005, The British journal of clinical psychology.

[30]  J. V. Wood,et al.  Should People with Low Self-Esteem Strive for High Self-Esteem? , 2006 .

[31]  R. Baer,et al.  Relationships between mindfulness, self-control, and psychological functioning , 2012 .

[32]  J. Greenberg,et al.  Why do people need self-esteem? Converging evidence that self-esteem serves an anxiety-buffering function. , 1992, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[33]  Mindfulness and Self-esteem: A Systematic Review , 2015 .

[34]  Fredrik Falkenström,et al.  Studying mindfulness in experienced meditators: A quasi-experimental approach , 2010 .

[35]  P. Bentler,et al.  Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis : Conventional criteria versus new alternatives , 1999 .

[36]  Gregory T. Smith,et al.  Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples , 2008, Assessment.

[37]  M. Leary.  Understanding Social Anxiety: Social, Personality, and Clinical Perspectives , 1983 .

[38]  J. Kabat-Zinn,et al.  Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context: Past, Present, and Future , 2003 .

[39]  Neerja Pande,et al.  Self-esteem mediates the relationship between mindfulness and well-being , 2016 .

[40]  Alice T. Sawyer,et al.  EMOTION DYSREGULATION MODEL OF MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS , 2012, Depression and anxiety.

[41]  J. Michalak,et al.  Buffering low self-esteem: The effect of mindful acceptance on the relationship between self-esteem and depression , 2011 .

[42]  Zhenhong Wang,et al.  Affect and self-esteem as mediators between trait resilience and psychological adjustment , 2014 .

[43]  Jingjing Zhao,et al.  The role of social support and self-esteem in the relationship between shyness and loneliness , 2013 .

[44]  Aileen M Pidgeon,et al.  The direct and indirect benefits of dispositional mindfulness on self-esteem and social anxiety , 2011, Anxiety, stress, and coping.

[45]  Britta K. Hölzel,et al.  Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density , 2011, Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.

[46]  J. Williams,et al.  Mindfulness, Depression and Modes of Mind , 2008, Cognitive Therapy and Research.