Self-compassion, meaning in life, and experiential avoidance explain the relationship between meditation and positive mental health outcomes.


Author: Yela JR1, Crego A1, Gómez-Martínez MÁ1, Jiménez L2

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Faculty of Psychology, Pontifical University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.

<sup>2</sup>Health Psychology Service, Pontifical University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Conference/Journal: J Clin Psychol.
Date published: 2020 Jan 24
Other:
  Special Notes: doi: 10.1002/jclp.22932. [Epub ahead of print]   ,  Word Count: 168  
    OBJECTIVE: Despite consistent evidence for the beneficial effects of meditation on mental health, little is known about the mechanisms that make mindfulness meditation effective.



METHOD: The levels of mental health, self-compassion, presence of meaning in life, and experiential avoidance of meditators (n = 414) and nonmeditators (n = 414) were measured and compared. Bootstrap-based structural equation modeling (SEM) modeling analyses were used to test multiple-step multiple-mediator models.



RESULTS: Meditation was positively associated with mental health, although the regularity of practice was an influential element to be considered. Significant indirect effects of meditation on mental health through self-compassion, meaning in life, and experiential avoidance were found. SEM models were able to account for 58% of the variance in mental health scores.



CONCLUSIONS: Self-compassion, presence of meaning in life, and reduced experiential avoidance may be active components of healthy meditation practices. Identifying the mechanisms involved in effective meditation practices has relevant implications for well-being and mental health-promoting interventions.



© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.



KEYWORDS: experiential avoidance; meaning in life; meditation; mental health; mindfulness; self-compassion



PMID: 31981226  DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22932