Mindfulness and Emotional Problems

Abstract

Around 20% of Dutch adolescents have mental health problems. To ensure a mentally healthy adulthood, it is essential to resolve these emotional problems during adolescence. One proposed way is by practicing mindfulness. However, it is unknown if and how emotional problems predict mindfulness practice in adolescents. Therefore, this longitudinal study investigated the bidirectional relationship between mindfulness and emotional problems among adolescents and whether these relationships differed for boys and girls. Data of the media multitasking and sleep problems study was used. For this study 958 adolescents (50.4% girls) from seven Dutch secondary schools completed a questionnaire at three different timepoints. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted with emotional problems as the dependent variable, mindfulness and gender as independent variables and school enjoyment as control variable. In the second analysis the variables emotional problems and mindfulness were interchanged. Contrary to the hypotheses, the results showed that mindfulness did not significantly predict emotional problems and that emotional problems did not significantly predict mindfulness. Moreover, these relationships did not significantly differ for boys and girls. After removal of three multivariate outliers, more emotional problems significantly predicted less mindfulness four months later. Based on these findings, further research is recommended and discussed.