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. 2019 Jul 22;7(1):47.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-019-0323-y.

Association among dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and leukocyte telomere length in Chinese adults

Shian-Ling Keng  1 , Onn Siong Yim  2 , Poh San Lai  2 , Soo Hong Chew  3 , Richard P Ebstein  4
Affiliations

Association among dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and leukocyte telomere length in Chinese adults

Shian-Ling Keng et al. BMC Psychol. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Whereas meditation training has been purported to support slower cellular aging, little work has explored the association among different facets of dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and cellular aging. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between leukocyte telomere length (LTL), an index of cellular aging, dispositional mindfulness, and self-compassion in a sample of Singaporean Chinese adults.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-eight Chinese adults (mean age = 27.24 years; 63.3% female) were recruited from the community and completed self-report measures assessing dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and psychological symptoms, as well as provided blood samples for analyses of LTL. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the role of trait mindfulness and self-compassion in predicting LTL, taking into consideration potential covariates such as chronological age and psychological symptoms.

Results: Results showed that nonreactivity, one of the five facets of dispositional mindfulness, was significantly associated with LTL, after controlling for chronological age. There was also a trend for dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and their selected facets (i.e., nonjudging, common humanity, and de-identification) to each be associated with longer LTL.

Conclusions: Overall, the findings provide preliminary support for the association among aspects of dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and aging. In particular, individuals high on nonreactivity experience slower aging at the cellular level, likely through engaging in more adaptive coping mechanisms.

Keywords: Cellular aging; Leukocyte telomere length; Mindfulness; Self-compassion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Association between age and LTL (leukocyte telomere length) among female participants
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Association between age and LTL (leukocyte telomere length) among male participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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