Mindful attention awareness reduces binge watching engagement: The mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties

Mindful attention awareness (MAA) has a protective role on the development of a wide range of problematic behaviors. Yet, no data is available on the relationship between MAA and binge watching (BW) - broadly defined as consecutively watching multiple episodes of TV series. To fill this gap, 442 adults completed an online battery of questionnaires measuring MAA, emotion regulation difficulties and BW engagement and symptoms. The results of the correlational and path analyses indicated that MAA was negatively associated with both positive and negative BW; furthermore, these negative effects were mediated by reductions in impulse control difficulties, as well as by increases in emotional awareness and enhanced access to emotion regulation strategies. These findings suggest that mindfulness-based interventions aimed at reducing emotion regulation difficulties might be effective in reducing the negative consequences that may arise from the engagement in problematic forms of BW.