A virtuous cycle between meaning in daily life and state mindfulness as well as the unique role of depression among young adults: A diary study.
Yangyu Lian, Wenrui Zhang, Ting He, Yulong Wang, Xiuyun Lin
Applied psychology. Health and well-being August 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12535 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA virtuous cycle exists between mindfulness and meaning in life (MIL), offering hope for those struggling with depression. In a diary study involving 184 college students, participants reported their experiences three times daily over 14 days, generating 7,726 responses. Results revealed that heightened state mindfulness significantly enhanced MIL, particularly for individuals with higher depressive symptoms. This dynamic relationship not only fostered greater meaning in daily life but also helped mitigate worsening depressive symptoms within two weeks, highlighting the transformative potential of mindfulness practices.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experience sampling method (ESM) with dynamic structural equation model (DSEM) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 184 |
| Population | College students |
| Duration | 14 consecutive days |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Diary study State mindfulness |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | A virtuous cycle between state mindfulness and meaning in life was found, with baseline depressive symptoms moderating the predictive effect of mindfulness on meaning in life, and mindfulness predicting meaning in life and alleviating worsening of depressive symptoms over two weeks. |
Abstract
The positive association between meaning in life (MIL) and mindfulness has been supported; however, previous research has been limited to the trait level. To explore the dynamics of mindfulness and MIL in the state level, the present study used the experience sampling method (ESM) and conducted a dynamic structural equation model (DSEM). In addition, we examined the moderation of baseline depression in this dynamic relationship and the protective role of the dynamics on depression. We recruited 184 college students (Mage = 21.58, 33.15% male), who reported three times a day for 14 consecutive days, and analyzed the 7726 collected responses. Firstly, a virtuous cycle between mindfulness and MIL was proven. Besides, the baseline depressive symptoms moderated the predictive of mindfulness on MIL, suggesting state mindfulness gave people with more depressive symptoms more meaningful in daily life. Lastly, the result also demonstrated the positive prediction of mindfulness on MIL and alleviated the worsening of depressive symptoms within 2 weeks. The findings extended the relationship between MIL and mindfulness from trait level to state level, enriching the self-determination theory, and examined the unique effect of depressive symptoms in the dynamics.