Trait mindfulness and psychological distress in college students: indirect associations via experiential avoidance

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study examined whether the associations between trait mindfulness and psychological distress were consistent with indirect associations involving experiential avoidance (EA) among college students. PARTICIPANTS: age = 18.7; 77% female). METHODS: Participants completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Indirect effect models were estimated with bootstrapped confidence intervals. RESULTS: Higher trait mindfulness was associated with lower EA, and higher EA was associated with greater depression, anxiety, and stress. Bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals for indirect effect estimates did not include zero across outcomes and EA measures, and direct associations between mindfulness and distress remained. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with psychological flexibility theory and suggest that EA is a relevant correlate of mindfulness-distress associations in college students. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to test temporal precedence and causal mechanisms.