title: Dispositional Mindfulness in People with HIV: Associations with Psychological and Physical Health.
abstract: We used a Stress and Coping model to examine the association of dispositional mindfulness, defined as the tendency to intentionally bring nonjudgmental attention and awareness to one's experience in the present moment, with psychological and physical health in adults with HIV. Data were collected at baseline of a randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Four facets of mindfulness (acting with attention/awareness,nonjudging of inner experience,observing, anddescribing) were examined as correlates of appraisal, positive and negative affect, coping, and indicators of psychological well-being and physical health. We found that mindfulness was inversely related to depression, stress appraisal, and negative affect, and positively related to positive affect. Mindfulness was also inversely related to escape/avoidance and self-blame forms of coping. Mediational analyses indicate that perceived stress and negative affect were the most consistent mediators of the association of mindfulness and psychological well-being. The findings from this paper contribute to a growing understanding of the potential adaptive role of mindfulness in people living with the stress of serious illness.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Acree
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Epel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kemeny
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Folkman
keywords: Dispositional mindfulness; HIV; appraisal; coping; mediation; physical health; psychological well-being