IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i8p5568-d1126480.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Disentangling the Effects of Mindfulness, Savoring, and Depressive Symptoms among Emerging Adults

Author

Listed:
  • Rebecca Y. M. Cheung

    (School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6ES, UK
    Centre for Child and Family Science, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China)

  • Melody C. Y. Ng

    (Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China)

Abstract

The links between mindfulness, savoring positive experiences, and depressive symptoms have been well established in the literature. Nevertheless, little has been done to disentangle the prospective relations among these constructs. Clarifying the longitudinal relations is crucial, as it enables researchers and practitioners to discern potential trajectories of mental health interventions. In this study, 180 emerging adults between 18 and 27 years old were recruited twice at 3 months apart to complete self-reported measures including mindfulness, savoring positive experiences, and depressive symptoms. Cross-lagged path analysis indicated that savoring the moment was predictive of mindfulness three months later, whereas depressive symptoms were predictive of both mindfulness and savoring the moment three months later, above and beyond the effects of age, gender, and family income. Additionally, mindfulness, savoring positive experiences, and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated at baseline. The present study evidenced short-term inverse effects of depressive symptoms on mindfulness and savoring the moment, as well as a positive effect of savoring the moment on mindfulness. Hence, interventions geared towards reducing symptoms of depression are likely to carry concurrent and prospective benefits for psychological functioning, namely the ability to be present in the moment and to savor.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca Y. M. Cheung & Melody C. Y. Ng, 2023. "Disentangling the Effects of Mindfulness, Savoring, and Depressive Symptoms among Emerging Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-10, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:8:p:5568-:d:1126480
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/8/5568/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/8/5568/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Hurley & Paul Kwon, 2012. "Results of a Study to Increase Savoring the Moment: Differential Impact on Positive and Negative Outcomes," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 579-588, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. L. Lambert & H.-A. Passmore & N. Scull & I. Al Sabah & R. Hussain, 2019. "Wellbeing Matters in Kuwait: The Alnowair’s Bareec Education Initiative," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 741-763, June.
    2. Carmela A White & Bob Uttl & Mark D Holder, 2019. "Meta-analyses of positive psychology interventions: The effects are much smaller than previously reported," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-48, May.
    3. Bozena Burzynska-Tatjewska & Maciej Stolarski, 2022. "Leaving Past Adversities Behind: Gratitude Intervention Compensates for the Undesirable Effects of Past Time Perspectives on Negative Affect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-12, October.
    4. Jinseok P. Kim & Eunkook M. Suh, 2024. "Childhood Socioeconomic Status Shapes Beliefs About Hedonic Versus Eudaimonic Happiness: A Life History Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Sen-Chi Yu & Kennon M. Sheldon & Wen-Ping Lan & Jia-Huei Chen, 2020. "Using Social Network Sites to Boost Savoring: Positive Effects on Positive Emotions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-11, September.
    6. Daniel Hurley & Paul Kwon, 2013. "Savoring Helps Most When You Have Little: Interaction Between Savoring the Moment and Uplifts on Positive Affect and Satisfaction with Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1261-1271, August.
    7. Zane Asher Green & Sophie Rizwan, 2023. "Art-of-Living Intervention Imparted Through a Blended Learning Approach to Nurture Positivity Among Pakistan’s University Students During COVID-19: A Growth Curve Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 1931-1962, August.
    8. Selda Koydemir & Aslı Bugay Sökmez & Astrid Schütz, 2021. "A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Randomized Controlled Positive Psychological Interventions on Subjective and Psychological Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(3), pages 1145-1185, June.
    9. Ryan, Gerard & Hernández-Maskivker, Gilda-María & Valverde, Mireia & Pàmies-Pallisé, Maria-del-Mar, 2018. "Challenging conventional wisdom: Positive waiting," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 64-72.
    10. Alexandra Marques-Pinto & Sofia Oliveira & Andrea Santos & Cláudia Camacho & Débora Pires Silva & Mónica Sofia Pereira, 2020. "Does Our Age Affect the Way we Live? A Study on Savoring Strategies Across the Life Span," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1509-1528, April.
    11. Erica D. Chadwick & Paul E. Jose & Fred B. Bryant, 2021. "Styles of Everyday Savoring Differentially Predict Well-being in Adolescents Over One Month," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 803-824, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:8:p:5568-:d:1126480. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.