Emotion regulation mediates relationships between mindfulness facets and aggression dimensions

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Forensic Psychology

Background:

• Socio-affective factors influence aggression.
• Mindfulness and emotion regulation are potential targets for aggression reduction.
• Some research suggests a "dark side" to mindfulness, linking it to aggression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationships between mindfulness, emotion regulation, and aggression.
• To investigate these relationships in both violent offender and community samples.
• To clarify the role of emotion regulation in the mindfulness-aggression link.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Involved 397 violent offenders and 324 community participants.
• Assessed mindfulness, emotion regulation, and aggression dimensions (verbal, physical, anger, hostility).

Main Results:

• Greater impairments in mindfulness and emotion regulation were associated with higher aggression.
• Emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between mindfulness facets and aggression.
• Positive associations between residual mindfulness variance and aggression were not replicated.

Conclusions:

• Mindfulness and emotion regulation are unequivocally related to lower aggression.
• These factors should be considered crucial targets for aggression prevention and treatment.
• The "dark side" of mindfulness regarding aggression may be explained by emotion dysregulation.