The associations of dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and reappraisal with symptoms of depression and anxiety among a sample of Indigenous students in Canada

Abstract

Objective

Depression and anxiety are major concerns among students. Unfortunately, there are disparities between the mental health of majority culture students (White; Judeo-Christian) and that of Indigenous students. Although mindfulness, self-compassion, and reappraisal are correlated with symptoms of psychopathology among White students, these relationships have never been examined among Indigenous students. Participants: Undergraduate Indigenous students recruited from a Canadian institution. Methods: We administered self-report measures of depression, anxiety, dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression). Results: 37.5% (n = 33) and 40.9% (n = 36) reported significant symptoms of depression or anxiety, respectively. Dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion were negatively and strongly associated with depression symptoms (r = −.58 and r = −.58, respectively). Further, both constructs were also negatively and strongly associated with anxiety symptoms (r = −.55 and r = −.53, respectively). We also found a negative correlation between reappraisal and depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Mindfulness, self-compassion, and reappraisal are associated with depression and anxiety symptoms among this sample of Indigenous students.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• depression
• dispositional mindfulness
• Indigenous
• self-compassion

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Canada and received approval from the University of Regina's Research Ethics Board.

Additional information

Funding

No financial or funding support to disclose. The findings of this study in their current form have not been published or presented elsewhere.