Associations between mindfulness and mental health after collective trauma: results from a longitudinal, representative, probability-based survey

ABSTRACT

Background/objectives

Trait mindfulness (TM) may protect against post-trauma mental health ailments and related impairment. Few studies have evaluated this association in the context of collective traumas using representative samples or longitudinal designs.

Design/method

We explored relationships between TM and collective trauma-related outcomes in a prospective, representative, probability-based sample of 1846 U.S. Gulf Coast residents repeatedly exposed to catastrophic hurricanes, assessed twice during the COVID-19 outbreak (Wave 1: 5/14/20–5/27/20; Wave 2: 12/21/21–1/11/22). Generalized estimating equations examined longitudinal relationships between TM, COVID-19-related fear/worry, hurricane-related fear/worry, global distress, and functional impairment; ordinary least squares regression analyses examined the cross-sectional association between TM and COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) at Wave 1. Event-related stressor exposure was explored as a moderator.

Results

In covariate-adjusted models including pre-event mental health ailments and demographics, TM was negatively associated with COVID-19-related fear/worry, hurricane-related fear/worry, global distress, and functional impairment over time; in cross-sectional analyses, TM was negatively associated with COVID-19-related PTSS. TM moderated the relationship between COVID-19 secondary stressor exposure (e.g., lost job/wages) and both global distress and functional impairment over time.

Conclusions

Results suggest TM may buffer adverse psychosocial outcomes following collective trauma, with some evidence TM may protect against negative effects of secondary stressor exposure.

KEYWORDS:

• mindfulness
• mental health
• trauma
• disasters
• hurricanes
• COVID-19

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Wendy Mansfield and Dr. Ying Wang from Ipsos for their contributions to the design and administration of the survey and to Dr. Baruch Fischhoff for his contribution to the initial design of the survey. We thank Drs. Roxane Cohen Silver and E. Alison Homan for their contributions, including conceptualization and funding acquisition, to the initial project from which this sample was drawn.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TYRJQ.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under [grant numbers SES-2030139, SBE-1760764 and BCS-1902925] and the National Center for Atmospheric Research sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement N. [grant number M0856145]. Dana Rose Garfin was supported by [grant number K01 MD013910] and was at the University of California, Irvine at the time of data collection.