Longitudinal relationships between mindfulness and mental health problems among adolescents: A cross-lagged panel...

While ample evidence supports the protective function of mindfulness against mental health problems among adolescents, there is a scarcity of studies elucidating which elements of mindfulness play a crucial role. Network analysis provides approaches to investigate such detailed associations among those variables in a more meticulous way. The current study aimed to model a cross-lagged network of components of mindfulness (i.e., awareness without judgment and acceptance) and mental health problems (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) with longitudinal data to unveil their temporal relationships among adolescents.

A sample of 1158 adolescents (M_age = 16.11, SD = 0.97; 55.3 % female) from China, was assessed three times with an interval of 3 months in between. Two cross-lagged panel networks were examined to model the temporal associations among elements of mindfulness and mental health problems.

Anxiety was the strongest and most consistent predictor of subsequent stress across both networks and centrality analysis identified anxiety as the most influential node over time. Nonjudgmental awareness consistently acted as a protective factor against mental health problems, while its relationship with acceptance evolved from being predictive to mutually reinforcing over time.

The study underscores the dynamic interplay between mindfulness and adolescent mental health, with anxiety emerging as the most central node within the network. Accordingly, mindfulness-based interventions may initially emphasize the cultivation of nonjudgmental awareness as a foundational strategy to promote adolescent well-being.