Examining the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between mindfulness and quality of life and mental health: testing the mindfulness stress buffering model.

Author: Valikhani A1, Kashani VO2, Rahmanian M3, Sattarian R4, Rahmati Kankat L5, Mills PJ6
Affiliation:
1Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
2Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Physical Education, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
3Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Theran, Iran.
4Department of Psychology, School of Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
5Faculty of Humanities, Department of Clinical Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Arak, Arak, Iran.
6Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Conference/Journal: Anxiety Stress Coping.
Date published: 2020 Feb 6
Other: Volume ID: 1-15 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1080/10615806.2020.1723006. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 176


Background and objectives: Many studies show that mindfulness can improve quality of life and mental health as well as reduce psychological distress; however, the mechanisms of these effects remain unknown. The mindfulness stress buffering model provides a model for explaining the effects of mindfulness on health outcomes through the mechanism of reducing perceived stress. Therefore, we investigated the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between mindfulness and quality of life and mental health.Methods/Design: Three hundred and fifteen soldiers completed the Mindful Attention Awareness scale, Perceived Stress Scale, WHO Quality of Life Assessment, and General Health Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling using bootstrap methods was employed to analyze the data.Results: Results showed that perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and quality of life, and that perceived stress fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness and mental health.Conclusions: Mindfulness yields beneficial effects in improving individuals' quality of life and improving mental health through reducing perceived stress.

KEYWORDS: The mindfulness stress buffering model; mental health; mindfulness; perceived stress; quality of life

PMID: 32026721 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2020.1723006

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