Background Based on ego depletion theory, this study investigates the mediating role of ego depletion in the relationship between mindfulness and self‐management behaviors in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, providing a reference for improving self‐management strategies. Methods Using convenience sampling, IBD inpatients from the gastroenterology department of a tertiary hospital in Suzhou were selected as participants. Data were collected through the General Information Questionnaire, Mindful State Questionnaire (MSQ), Ego Depletion Scale, and IBD Self‐Management Behavior Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the mediating effect of ego depletion between mindfulness and self‐management behaviors. Results The model fit well (CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.08). Mindfulness showed a direct positive relationship with self‐management ( β = 0.45, p < 0.01) but was also associated with higher levels of ego depletion ( β = 0.24, p < 0.01), which had a negative relationship with self‐management ( β = −0.26, p < 0.01). A significant negative indirect effect was found ( β = −0.065, 95% CI −0.117, −0.027), confirming ego depletion’s suppressor role. Conclusion Ego depletion acts as a suppressor in the relationship between mindfulness and self‐management in this sample of hospitalized IBD patients. These findings suggest that mindfulness may be associated with increased feelings of ego depletion in this clinical population, which in turn undermines self‐management. This highlights a complex interplay where the beneficial direct association of mindfulness on behavior is partially offset by its relationship with resource depletion.
Zhang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.