Abstract
Background
The extent to which individuals engage in daily mindfulness varies. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches may enable greater insights into fluctuations in daily mindfulness, the association of these fluctuations with well-being outcomes, and identification of possible treatment targets. EMA methods afford depiction of the relative contribution of within- and between-person differences in mindfulness, which has the potential to advance mindfulness research.
Methods
The current study is a secondary analysis of EMA data from an ecological momentary intervention trial, which included 2,812 daily surveys collected across a 21-day study with 160 participants following data screening. We examined associations of between- and within-individual mindfulness strategies (psychological acceptance and present-moment awareness) and emotion regulation, positive affect, and negative affect. We also examined the extent to which between-person psychological acceptance and present-moment awareness were associated with trait mindfulness.
Results
Both between- and within-person psychological acceptance and present-moment awareness were associated with emotion regulation and negative affect. Between- and within-person psychological acceptance were also associated with positive affect, although present-moment awareness was not. Present-moment awareness and psychological acceptance were both uniquely related to domains of trait mindfulness.
Conclusions
These results underscore the importance of focusing on individual variability in mindfulness research, and are discussed in terms of how findings inform development of adaptive interventions.