Mindfulness moderates the relation between trauma and anxiety symptoms in college students

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relations between trauma exposure and anxiety and depression among college students, and to determine whether trait mindfulness may moderate these relations. Participants: Self-report survey data from 2,336 college sophomores were drawn from a larger university-wide study (“Spit for Science”). Methods: We constructed multiple linear regression models using past-year trauma exposure, trait mindfulness, and their multiplicative interaction to predict current anxiety and depressive symptom severity, while controlling for covariates. Results: Mindfulness was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety symptom severity. Trauma was a significant predictor of anxiety, but not depression, and high levels of mindfulness attenuated the association between trauma exposure and higher anxiety symptom severity. Conclusions: These results have implications for the treatment and prevention of anxiety among trauma-exposed college students and provide a basis for further research into the mechanisms through which mindfulness may facilitate positive mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety
• depression
• internalizing
• mindfulness
• trauma

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Kirk Warren Brown, PhD for his feedback during the preparation of this manuscript. We would also like to thank the VCU students for making this study a success, as well as the many VCU faculty, students, and staff who contributed to the design and implementation of the project. JDT is now at the National Institutes of Health. JES is now at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Additional information

Funding

Spit for Science: The VCU Student Survey has been supported by Virginia Commonwealth University, P20AA017828, R37AA011408, K02AA018755, and P50AA022537 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and UL1RR031990 from the National Center for Research Resources and National Institutes of Health Roadmap for Medical Research.