The impact of mindfulness on stigma stress and well-being among individuals with mental disorders

Objectives: The present study examined the relations of mindfulness with stigma stress and well-being among individuals with mental disorders. Specifically, this study tested whether mindfulness would be associated with lower levels of stigma stress and, in turn, higher levels of well-being. We hypothesized that mindfulness would be linked to lower levels of stigma stress through decreased negative rumination and increased positive reappraisal. We also hypothesized that lower levels of stigma stress would be linked to higher levels of well-being through reduced self-stigma content and reduced self-stigma process.

Method: This study utilized a cross-sectional design. A total of 210 individuals with mental disorders completed questionnaire measures of mindfulness, negative rumination, positive reappraisal, stigma stress, self-stigma content, self-stigma process, and well-being. The interrelations among these variables were examined with factor score path analyses and bootstrap analyses.

Results: Higher mindfulness was linked to lower negative rumination and higher positive reappraisal, which were, in turn, linked to lower stigma stress. Moreover, lower stigma stress was linked to lower self-stigma content and lower self-stigma process, which were, in turn, linked to higher well-being.

Conclusions: Our findings reveal the associations of mindfulness with stigma stress and well-being among individuals with mental disorders. Specifically, our findings show that individuals with mental disorders who are more mindful may experience lower stigma stress and have better well-being.

Preregistration: This study is not preregistered. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.