Chinese adolescents' mindfulness and internalizing symptoms: The mediating role of rumination and acceptance

Background: Internalizing problems during adolescence are common psychiatric symptoms. Previous research has demonstrated that mindfulness was significantly and negatively associated with and mindfulness-based interventions would be efficacious for aiming at adolescents' internalizing problems. However, research about how mindfulness could improve internalizing symptoms among Chinese adolescents is sparse and its potential mechanism is still unclear. The present study adopted rumination and acceptance to examine their mediation effects between Chinese adolescents' mindfulness and internalizing symptoms. Methods: A final sample of 1,554 adolescents (aged from 10 to 18 years old, M =15.58, SD =1.25) were recruited from schools in South China. Participants were asked to complete a package of questionnaires measuring mindfulness, internalizing problems (indicated by generalized anxiety and depression), rumination, and acceptance. Results: Structural equation model confirmed our hypothesis and showed that rumination, as well as acceptance, significantly mediated the relationship between Chinese adolescents' mindfulness level and internalizing symptoms (generalized anxiety and depression). Limitations: a) only cross-sectional design was employed in the study; b) most of participants were normal adolescent students, without a diagnosis of any psychiatric disorder; c) all the measures were self-reported by adolescents. Conclusions: Mindfulness not only directly impacted on adolescents' internalizing problems, but also indirectly improved their anxious and depression emotions via the reduction of rumination and the increase of acceptance. Hence, mindfulness training as well as the application of emotion regulation skills may be useful for adolescents exposed to the likelihood of suffering from internalizing problems.