Mindfulnessis the practice of intentionally focusing one’s attention on the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.
This skill has been associated with numerous benefits throughout the lifespan, including reduced stress,anxiety, and depression; improved emotional regulation; enhanced cognitive function; and increased overall well-being.
In children and adolescents, mindfulness can support social-emotional development and academic performance. For adults, it can improve work productivity and relationship satisfaction.
In older adults, mindfulness practices may help maintain cognitive function and promote successful aging.
As such, mindfulness has emerged as a valuable tool for promoting mental health and well-being across all life stages.
Key Points
Rationale
Previous research has shown that mindfulness, typically defined as present-moment awareness with a non-judgmental attitude, is associated with various well-being outcomes across the lifespan (Tomlinson et al., 2018).
However, inconsistencies in findings across different mindfulness facets and samples have led researchers to argue for person-centered approaches to explore heterogeneity in mindfulness (Lilja et al., 2013; Pearson et al., 2015; Bravo et al., 2016).
While several studies have examined mindfulness profiles in specific age groups or clinical populations, there is a lack of research investigating mindfulness profiles across a large lifespan sample.
By taking a person-centered approach with a diverse age range, the researchers sought to provide a more nuanced understanding of how different combinations of mindfulness facets may be differentially adaptive across the lifespan.
Method
The study employed across-sectional designusing latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify mindfulness profiles based on the five facets of mindfulness.
Procedure
Participants completed an online questionnaire measuring the five facets of mindfulness, life satisfaction, existential well-being, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.
Sample
1,600 Canadian participants aged 14-90 (M = 45.74, SD = 21.09) were recruited through Qualtrics XM. The sample was balanced across age cohorts and binary gender.
Measures
Statistical measures
Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify mindfulness profiles. The 3-step method was used for profile comparisons on age, well-being, and mental health outcomes.
Results
Insight
This study provides a comprehensive examination of mindfulness profiles across the lifespan, revealing important nuances in how different combinations of mindfulness facets relate to age, well-being, and mental health.
The findings suggest that certain mindfulness profiles may be more adaptive than others. Specifically, the high mindfulness and nonjudgmentally aware profiles, which were associated with older age and better mental health outcomes, appear to be particularly beneficial.
This aligns with previous research indicating that mindfulness tends to increase with age (Hohaus & Spark, 2013; Shook et al., 2021) and supports theories such as the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (Carstensen, 2006), which proposes that older adults may be more motivated to focus on present-moment experiences.
This finding highlights the potential risks of emphasizing observation without cultivating other aspects of mindfulness, particularly among younger individuals who may be more prone to self-judgment and social comparison.
Future research could explore the developmental trajectories of these mindfulness profiles using longitudinal designs.
Additionally, investigating the efficacy of tailored mindfulness interventions based on individual profiles could enhance the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapies across different age groups.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
Limitations
This study also had several methodological limitations, including:
These limitations suggest caution in generalizing findings to non-Western populations and underscore the need for longitudinal and more diverse studies to confirm the developmental patterns observed.
Clinical Implications
The identification of distinct mindfulness profiles across the lifespan has significant implications for both research and practice in clinical psychology and related fields:
These implications highlight the potential for a more nuanced and personalized approach to mindfulness in both clinical practice and public health initiatives, which could ultimately lead to more effective promotion of mental health and well-being across diverse age groups.
References
Primary reference
Johnson, N. J., Smith, R. J., & Kil, H. (2024). Not all mindfulness is equal: certain facets of mindfulness have important implications for well-being and mental health across the lifespan.Frontiers in Psychology,15, 1347487.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347487
Other references
Bravo, A. J., Boothe, L. G., & Pearson, M. R. (2016). Getting personal with mindfulness: A latent profile analysis of mindfulness and psychological outcomes.Mindfulness,7, 420-432.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0459-7
Carstensen, L. L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development.Science,312(5782), 1913-1915.
Gupta, G., & Rawat, V. P. (2024). Do Mindfulness and Psychological well-being improve in old age? Exploring Gender Differences.Mind and Society,13(01), 16-22.https://doi.org/10.56011/mind-mri-131-20242
Lilja, J. L., Lundh, L. G., Josefsson, T., & Falkenström, F. (2013). Observing as an essential facet of mindfulness: A comparison of FFMQ patterns in meditating and non-meditating individuals.Mindfulness,4, 203-212.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0111-8
Pearson, M. R., Lawless, A. K., Brown, D. B., & Bravo, A. J. (2015). Mindfulness and emotional outcomes: Identifying subgroups of college students using latent profile analysis.Personality and individual differences,76, 33-38.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.11.009
Shook, N. J., Delaney, R. K., Strough, J., Wilson, J. M., Sevi, B., & Altman, N. (2021). Playing it safe: Dispositional mindfulness partially accounts for age differences in health and safety risk-taking propensity.Current Psychology,40, 2142-2152.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-0137-3
Tomlinson, E. R., Yousaf, O., Vittersø, A. D., & Jones, L. (2018). Dispositional mindfulness and psychological health: A systematic review.Mindfulness,9, 23-43.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0762-6
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Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
