title: Mindfulness and emotion regulation in depression and anxiety: common and distinct mechanisms of action.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current study seeks to investigate the mechanisms through which mindfulness is related to mental health in a clinical sample of adults by examining (1) whether specific cognitive emotion regulation strategies (rumination, reappraisal, worry, and nonacceptance) mediate associations between mindfulness and depression and anxiety, respectively, and (2) whether these emotion regulation strategies operate uniquely or transdiagnostically in relation to depression and anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 187 adults seeking treatment at a mood and anxiety disorders clinic in Connecticut. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures that included assessments of depression and anxiety (Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire), and emotion regulation (Ruminative Response Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Simple mediation analyses indicated that rumination and worry significantly mediated associations between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms, whereas rumination and reappraisal significantly mediated associations between mindfulness and depressive symptoms. Multiple mediation analyses showed that worry significantly mediated associations between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms and rumination and reappraisal significantly mediated associations between mindfulness and depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that mindfulness operates through distinct and common mechanisms depending on clinical context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA. alethea.desrosiers@yale.edu
authors.forename: Alethea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Desrosiers
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vine
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Klemanski
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nolen-Hoeksema
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D008960:Models, Psychological; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: anxiety; depression; emotion regulation; mindfulness