Dispositional Mindfulness and its relationship with health anxiety and illness anxiety: A perspective from Self-Determination Theory’s basic psychological needs

Abstract

Past research has shown strong relations between dispositional mindfulness and well-being. Few studies have examined dispositional mindfulness with health and illness anxiety. Far less research has examined the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. Self-Determination theory, a meta theory on human motivation that promotes the existence of three psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) that are essential for human flourishing growth and well-being. We measured self-reported dispositional mindfulness, health anxiety, illness anxiety and basic psychological needs satisfaction in a heterogenous sample of 111 people (67.6% female and 31.5% male 0.9% Transman) aged between 19 and 66 years old. We hypothesized that higher dispositional mindfulness would result in lower anxiety scores and that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs will be a mediator in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, health anxiety, and illness anxiety. Analyses revealed that self-reported mindfulness is inversely related to health anxiety and illness anxiety. Need satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and health anxiety but was not a mediator between dispositional mindfulness and illness anxiety. This research may develop new insights into possible underlying mechanisms playing a role in the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety and creating a pathway for basic psychological needs to help improve efficacy of counselling settings and approaches in reducing psychological distress in clients.