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Mindfulness as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Engaged Living and Depression in Emerging Adulthood

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Abstract

Objectives

In this cross-sectional study with a sample of racially diverse emerging adults, we examined whether mindfulness moderated the association between engaged living and a range of psychological distress variables (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress).

Methods

The study sample comprised 1020 university students, aged 18–25 (M = 19.5, SD = 1.6), recruited from a public university in Hawaiʻi. Engaged living, mindfulness, and psychological distress were measured by the Engaged Living Scale (ELS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and short‐form version of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), respectively. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the conditional effect of engaged living on psychological distress variables at varying levels of mindfulness.

Results

We found a significant two-way interaction effect between engaged living and mindfulness on depression, but not on anxiety or stress. Specifically, the inverse relationship between engaged living and depression was attenuated in 3 with high levels of mindfulness.

Conclusions

These results suggest that clarity of values and life fulfillment, processes that are captured by the construct of engaged living, are relevant to depression, particularly when mindfulness is low, and that both mindfulness and engaged living serve as unique salutary pathways in the context of experiencing anxiety and stress.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822-2294, USA

    Duckhyun Jo

  2. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Samuel D. Spencer & Akihiko Masuda

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  1. Duckhyun Jo
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  2. Samuel D. Spencer
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  3. Akihiko Masuda
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Contributions

DJ conducted literature review, discussed study questions with AM (senior author), conducted statistical analyses, and drafted and revised the manuscript. SS conducted literature review and assisted in manuscript preparation. AM supervised DJ and SS in study design and research questions and assisted in manuscript preparation. All authors have approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Duckhyun Jo.

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Ethics Approval

The present study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at University of Hawaiʻi.

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Given the online nature of the present study, all participants electronically consented to join the present study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Jo, D., Spencer, S.D. & Masuda, A. Mindfulness as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Engaged Living and Depression in Emerging Adulthood. Mindfulness 13, 742–750 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01831-9

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