title: Mindful attention and awareness mediate the association between age and negative affect.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Later life is often accompanied by experiences of loss and bereavement in several life domains. In spite of this, older adults experience less negative affect than their younger counterparts. Several explanations for this paradoxical finding have been put forward, but the mechanisms underlying the association between age and negative affect remain largely unclear. In the present study, we propose that mindfulness may be an important mediator of this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional sample of 507 participants (age range 18-85 years) was used to investigate this question. Participants completed a range of self-report questionnaires on demographic variables, mindfulness, affect, quality of life (QoL), and personality. In our mediation analysis, we used an advanced statistical technique called G-estimation to control for the impact of confounding variables such as personality dimensions and QoL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings indicate that the age-related decrease in negative affect is mediated by mindfulness. The results remain significant when we control for QoL and personality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings imply that mindfulness skills may be an important link between age and negative affect. Implications of these findings for the understanding of the well-being paradox are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium. Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. An.Raes@UGent.be.
authors.forename: An K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Raes
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bruyneel
authors.affiliation: Department of Data Analysis, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Loeys
authors.affiliation: Department of Data Analysis, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Beatrijs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moerkerke
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Raedt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Mindfulness; Negative affect; Personality; Well-being.