What Aspects of Dispositional Mindfulness Mediate the Association Between Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

It is commonly accepted that childhood maltreatment is associated with greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Identifying pathways, particularly areas of resilience, requires greater attention so that prevention and intervention efforts can be improved. Mindfulness is one possible mediator and is a multidimensional construct that may play a role in reducing PTSD symptoms. Several notable problems exist in the research including the use of a composite score of maltreatment and mindfulness. This prevents a clear picture on which forms of maltreatment may influence mindfulness and which aspects of mindfulness are associated with fewer PTSD symptoms. The current study examined five domains of mindfulness as mediators linking emotional abuse and neglect, the most common forms of maltreatment, to PTSD symptoms. A sample of 219 college women were recruited from a southern university and participated in an online survey. Results from structural equation models found that emotional abuse and emotional neglect demonstrated generally opposing impacts on facets of dispositional mindfulness. Additionally, acting with awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity mediated both emotional abuse and neglect to PTSD symptoms while observing and describing did not mediate the association for either. Nonjudgment demonstrated the strongest effect and could be a worthwhile area of intervention for clinicians working with women who experience emotional maltreatment.