Dispositional mindfulness moderates the relation between brooding rumination and sleep problems in adolescents

Abstract

Objectives/background: This study examined whether dispositional mindfulness moderates the association between brooding rumination and sleep problems in adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Participants/methods: Participants were 137 adolescents (ages 13-15 years; 64% male). Approximately half (47.4%; n = 65) were diagnosed with ADHD. Adolescents provided ratings of their dispositional mindfulness and brooding rumination. Both adolescents and parents provided ratings of adolescents' sleep problems.

Results: In analyses controlling for sex, race, study site, and group (ADHD vs. comparison), brooding rumination was associated with more adolescent- and parent-reported sleep problems only at low levels of dispositional mindfulness. This effect did not differ for adolescents with or without ADHD and was also unchanged when controlling for internalizing psychopathology symptoms.

Conclusions: Our findings showed that dispositional mindfulness might buffer against the negative impact of brooding rumination on adolescent sleep. These findings may have important clinical implications and underscore the potential benefit of including mindfulness and other cognitive-behavioral approaches when treating sleep problems in adolescents.

Keywords: ADHD; Adolescence; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Brooding rumination; Mindfulness; Sleep.