Relationship between dispositional mindfulness and substance use: Findings from a clinical sample (original) (raw)

Research Paper: The Relationship Between Dispositional Mindfulness, Temperament and Character Dimensions of Personality and Identity Styles

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the relationships between dispositional mindfulness, temperament, personality traits, and identity styles and to determine the predictive power of dispositional mindfulness, temperament, personality traits in identity styles. Methods: 223 students (120 females and 103 males) from the universities in Tehran were selected as the sample. The data were gathered using the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and the Identity Style Inventory. Results: Dispositional mindfulness was significantly correlated with identity styles and identity commitment. There were also significant relationships between mindfulness and temperament dimensions and character dimensions (-0.32 to 0.38, P<0.01). Regression analysis indicated that three personality dimensions, i.e., self-directedness, self-transcendence, novelty seeking and dispositional mindfulness predict 35% of the variance of identity commitment; and dispositional mindfulness, self-transcendence, cooperativeness and novelty seeking predict 26% of the variance of normative identity style. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that mindfulness and the psychobiological aspects of personality may have a significant role in the process of identity achievement. Also, the biological aspects of personality may have a significant role in dispositional mindfulness.

A meta-analysis of the relationship between trait mindfulness and substance use behaviors

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014

Background-The relationship between trait mindfulness and substance use behaviors has been inconsistent across studies. The current study is a meta-analysis aimed at quantifying the magnitude of this relationship, and at determining how this relationship varies in context of (1) mindfulness facets, (2) substance type, (3) sample characteristics, and (4) substance use severity. Methods-A literature search was conducted using electronic databases. The literature search yielded 303 articles, but only 39 articles met inclusion criteria to be included in this meta-analysis. The relationship was quantified as a Pearson's r correlation coefficient for all studies. Results-Findings indicated a small, negative, and significant relationship between trait mindfulness and substance use behaviors (r =-0.13). This relationship varied across substance type, clinical status of the sample, and substance use severity. Although not significant, relationship sizes showed different patterns across mindfulness facets. Conclusions-This meta-analysis quantified the relationship between trait mindfulness and substance use behaviors, which can be used as future effect size estimates. Findings also clarify inconsistency in previous work by indicating that the trait mindfulness-substance use behaviors relationship was more robust: (1) for alcohol use and tobacco use behaviors; (2) for problematic substance use behaviors; and (3) with inpatient clinical samples. Further work should continue to examine if acting with awareness, non-judgment, and non-reactivity mindfulness facets are more robustly associated with substance use behaviors. Failure to consider these factors, or collapsing across these factors, could explain the smaller or inconsistently reported associations across previous studies.

Personality correlates of mindfulness: A study in an Indian setting

Background: Mindfulness has received consistent attention from researchers in the last few decades due to its positive effects on physical and mental health, psychological well‑being, as well as several therapeutic outcomes. In an attempt to discern its dispositional source, researchers have also looked at its relation with personality traits. Aims: The current study aims to carry the above effort ahead by looking at the relation of mindfulness to the big‑five personality traits in the Indian context in an exploratory way to give some amount of cross-cultural validity to established relations in the Western context. Methods: The current study adopted the method of correlational research to fulfill the above aim. Results: Results of the current investigation on 60 plus Yoga students supported earlier meta‑analysis by revealing highly significant moderate correlations, negative of -0.45 with neuroticism and positive of 0.49 with conscientiousness after controlling for demographics. Mindfulness also showed a positive relation to extraversion (r = 0.29), to a lesser extent though. The study, very surprisingly, showed no gender difference in neuroticism in the current sample of Yoga students, thereby creating a deviation to a widely present gender difference. Conclusions: The current paper discusses the above results in detail, and draws the personality mini‑profile of a mindful individual to be that of one who is emotionally stable and/or well‑disciplined in his/her approach toward life although, studies with larger, representative and cross-cultural samples are needed to further validate this claim.

The Effects of Mindfulness on Affect and Substance Use

2015

Previous studies have explored the impact of mindfulness on Big 5 personality traits, personality disorders, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use; additionally, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been used to treat individuals suffering from depression and anxiety. However, the practical application of mindfulness has been complicated by contradictory findings in the literature and inconsistent conceptualizations of the construct. The current study sought to investigate potential relationships between types of mindfulness, facets of mindfulness, substance use, and affect. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires related to mindfulness, correlates of neuroticism (i.e., depression, anxiety, and subjective happiness), and drinking-related consequences. Correlational analyses revealed significant relationships between mindfulness and neurotic subtraits (i.e., depression and anxiety), mindfulness and subjective happiness, and mindfulness and experiences of drinking-relat...

The “What” and the “How” of Dispositional Mindfulness

Assessment, 2012

Although self-report measures of dispositional mindfulness have good psychometric properties, a few studies have shown unexpected positive correlations between substance use and mindfulness scales measuring observation of present-moment experience. The current study tested the hypothesis that the relationship between present-moment observation and substance use is moderated by the tendency to be nonjudgmental and nonreactive toward the observed stimuli. Two hundred and ninety-six undergraduates completed the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), a calendar measuring periods of substance use, and a measure of the Five-Factor Model of personality. Controlling for FFMQ and personality subscales, significant interactions between the observing and nonreactivity subscales indicated that the observing subscale was negatively associated with substance use at higher levels of nonreactivity but positively associated with periods of substance use at lower levels of nonreactivity. Result...

Relation Between Personality Traits and Mindfulness Following Mindfulness-Based Training: A Study of Incarcerated Individuals with Drug Abuse Disorders in Taiwan

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Abstract We examined the relationship between the “Big-Five” personality factors and levels 12 of mindfulness at baseline, and the predictive value of these personality factors on changes in 13 mindfulness after eight weeks of mindfulness-based training. All participants were followed- 14 up for eight weeks. Sixty-three incarcerated adult males with drug abuse disorders completed 15 self-report assessments of mindfulness, depression, and personality. Four of the five person- 16 ality factors (Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) were signif- 17 icantly associated with Decentering of mindfulness at baseline. Neuroticism and OPENNESS 18 to Experience were significantly related to Curiosity. There was a significant baseline-to-post- 19 course difference on the Decentering subscale; however, the results unexpectedly contradicted 20 our hypothesis. There were no significant baseline-to-post-course differences on the Curiosity 21 subscale. After controlling for...

On the Relationship Between the Practice of Mindfulness Meditation and Personality—an Exploratory Analysis of the Mediating Role of Mindfulness Skills

Mindfulness, 2011

Mindfulness meditation (MM) has often been suggested to induce fundamental changes in the way events in life are experienced and dealt with, presumably leading to alterations in personality. However, the relationship between the practice of MM and personality has not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to explore this relationship and to investigate the mediating role of mindfulness skills. Thirty-five experienced mindfulness meditators (age range, 31-75 years; meditation experience range, 0.25-35 years; mean, ∼13 years) and 35 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched controls (age range, 27-63 years) without any meditation experience completed a personality (NEO-FFI) and mindfulness (KIMS) questionnaire. The practice of MM was positively related to openness and extraversion and negatively related to neuroticism and conscientiousness. Thus, the results of the current study associate the practice of MM with higher levels of curiosity and receptivity to new experiences and experience of positive affect and with less proneness toward negative emotions and worrying and a reduced focus on achievements. Furthermore, the mediating role of specific mindfulness skills in the relationship between the practice of MM and personality traits was shown.

Trait Mindfulness: A Multifaceted Evaluation

Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2018

Scant studies have addressed the relations of an array of variables related to trait mindfulness in the context of a single investigation. We tested 800 (67.9% females, 31.3% males, .6% other, and .3% missing) undergraduate participants to evaluate three hypotheses: (a) increased positive affect, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, acceptance, mysticism, transliminality, emotion regulation, and resilience would be related to increased trait mindfulness; (b) decreased negative affect, neuroticism, trait anxiety, behavioral avoidance, depression, and psychopathy would be associated with increased trait mindfulness; and (c) emotion regulation and resilience would demonstrate the strongest relations with trait mindfulness. All variables correlated significantly with trait mindfulness in the hypothesized directions, except for mysticism. Regression analyses revealed that emotion regulation, resilience, neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, and behavioral avoidance all uniquely related to trait mindfulness. Enhanced emotion regulation and resilience alone accounted for more than 50% of variance in trait mindfulness.