Not all mindfulness is equal: certain facets of mindfulness have important implications for well-being and mental health across the lifespan

Abstract

The connections between the five facets of mindfulness, well-being, and mental health across the lifespan have traditionally been investigated using variable-centered approaches. Less research has investigated these relationships from a person-centered, profile-based approach. In this work, we aimed to identify the profiles of mindfulness in a Canadian lifespan sample (14 to 90 years of age) and investigate how these profiles compared on age, well-being, and mental health. An age- and gender-balanced sample of 1,600 participants completed a questionnaire that measured the five facets of mindfulness; life satisfaction; existential well-being; and anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. A latent profile analysis was conducted. Five profiles based on the five-facet model of mindfulness were identified: high mindfulness, moderate mindfulness, low mindfulness, nonjudgmentally aware, and judgmentally observing. The 3-step approach to profile comparisons was used to assess age, mental health, and well-being differences across the profiles. Those in the high mindfulness and nonjudgmentally aware profiles were generally older, while the judgmentally observing profile contained younger individuals. Those in the high mindfulness and nonjudgmentally aware profiles reported the greatest mental health and well-being. Conversely, those in the low mindfulness and judgmentally observing profiles had worse mental health than the other profiles. The moderate mindfulness profile was situated between these profile groups on age, mental health, and well-being outcomes. This pattern of results has implications for mindfulness-based intervention research and practice to better account for heterogeneity in mindfulness and better support well-being across the lifespan.

Keywords: latent profile analysis; lifespan; mental health; mindfulness; well-being.

Figure 1

Five profile solution for the five facets of mindfulness. Standard errors ranged from 0.063 to 0.082 in the high mindfulness profile, from 0.059 to 0.080 in the moderate mindfulness profile, from 0.127 to 0.151 in the low mindfulness profile, from 0.094 to 0.139 in the nonjudgmentally aware profile, and from 0.110 to 0.186 in the judgmentally observing profile.

Figure 2

Age across the five mindfulness profiles. Different subscripts depict significantly different means at p < 0.005. Conversely, bars that share subscripts depict no significant difference across their means. For example, subscript _a occurs across the high and nonjudgmentally aware bars for age and thus, these profiles do not significantly differ in average age. However, the high and nonjudgmentally aware profile do significantly differ from the other three profiles that do not share the _a subscript.

Figure 3

Mental health and well-being across the five mindfulness profiles. Different subscripts within a certain outcome of interest depict significantly different means at p < 0.005. Conversely, bars that share subscripts depict no significant difference across their means. For example, subscript _a occurs across the high mindfulness and nonjudgmentally aware bars for life satisfaction and thus, these profiles do not significantly differ in life satisfaction scores. However, the high and nonjudgmentally aware profiles do significantly differ from the other three profiles that do not share the _a subscript.