The Protective Influence of Trait Mindfulness on Psychological Distress: the Mediating Role of Negative Cognition.

Mindfulness has been linked to lower psychological distress. Yet, it remains unclear how, or the mechanism(s) by which, mindfulness reduces psychological distress, particularly during times of heightened, prolonged stress. The present research utilised secondary analysis of data from two independent studies to 1) assess whether greater trait mindfulness protected U.S. adults against psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2) test whether negatively biased cognition (pessimism) mediated the association between trait mindfulness and psychological distress. Both studies utilised a two-wave longitudinal design with an initial survey conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and a follow-up survey conducted during the pandemic. Participants completed validated measures of trait mindfulness, negatively biased cognition (i.e. pessimism), and psychological distress (i.e. anxiety and depression symptoms). Across two studies, pre-pandemic levels of trait mindfulness prospectively predicted less psychological distress during the pandemic, controlling for pre-pandemic psychological distress. Further, lower pessimism during the pandemic mediated the association between greater pre-pandemic trait mindfulness and lower psychological distress during the pandemic. These findings suggest that mindfulness may protect against, or reduce, psychological distress by decreasing negatively biased cognition. As such, mindfulness and negatively biased cognition may be important targets for interventions aimed at promoting psychological health.