Abstract
Objectives
Increasing evidence suggests that dispositional mindfulness is associated with health, well-being, and the quality of personal relationships. Mechanisms underlying these associations are of considerable current interest. Interpersonal processes may contribute to associations of mindfulness with social support and interpersonal conflict, and the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) and other aspects of interpersonal theory provide a framework for examining possible mediating processes. The present study factor analyzed multiple mindfulness-related scales to identify key components related to psychosocial outcomes. Also, we examined whether interpersonal style dimensions of control and affiliation contribute to associations of mindfulness factors with psychosocial outcomes.
Methods
Two undergraduate samples (total N = 614) completed self-report questionnaires related to dispositional mindfulness and interpersonal processes.
Results
Factor analyses identified broader mindfulness dimensions consistent with prior literature, which were associated with more social support and less interpersonal conflict. In mediational analyses, this association was by way of warmth as a component of interpersonal style in the case of social support, but not for conflict.
Conclusions
Interpersonal style contributes to the association of dispositional mindfulness with psychosocial outcomes relevant to health and adjustment. Aspects of the interpersonal perspective (e.g., transactional cycles) can provide an integrative framework and a guide to future research.
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Data Availability Statement
Data are available at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/8nf3m/).
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C. D. L.: primarily responsible for design and analysis, and drafting the manuscript. T. W. S.: assisted in design and analysis, and in writing the manuscript. J. L. G.: developed and implemented the procedure for data collection, and assisted in data analysis. P. G. W. and B. N. U.: assisted in the design and interpretation of the data analyses, and in the drafting and revision of the manuscript.
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Deits-Lebehn, C., Smith, T.W., Grove, J.L. et al. Interpersonal Style Contributes to the Association of Dispositional Mindfulness with Social Functioning. Mindfulness 13, 373–384 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01798-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01798-z