Mindful Attention as a Buffer Between Prospective Exposure to Stressful Life Events and Psychiatric Symptoms in Young People

Abstract

Mental disorders are some of the major leading causes of the global burden of disease. With most adult mental disorders emerging during the youth period, identifying factors that may reduce prospective mental health risks and protect against the negative effects of stressors in this age group is critical. Mindful attention, defined as the awareness of present thoughts and bodily experiences without judgment, might be a potential protective factor.Using data from 1605 young people (aged 15–25 years) as part of a household-based epidemiological study in Hong Kong, we sought to examine whether mindful attention at baseline would moderate the effects of prospectively experienced stressful life events on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as mental and physical health-related quality of life, at 1-year follow-up.Findings revealed that those with high baseline mindful attention showed significantly lower symptom levels across all mental health and quality of life outcomes, while exposure to any past-year stressful life events at follow-up was associated with higher symptom levels and poorer health-related quality of life outcomes. High mindful attention significantly moderated the negative effects of prospective stressful life events on depressive and anxiety symptoms and mental health-related quality of life at follow-up. This study provided novel insights into the protective effects of mindful attention and awareness against future risks of depression and anxiety in relation to prospectively experienced life stressors among young people. How mindful attention is differentially implicated in depression and anxiety, as compared with PTSD, requires further investigation.