Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Emotion Regulation in Wellbeing Among Childhood Maltreatment Survivors

Mindfulness and self-compassion have been linked to the capacity for emotion regulation and to better outcomes, including among survivors of childhood maltreatment (CM). Mindfulness is multifaceted and includes observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity, yet little research has examined the roles of specific facets of trait mindfulness in positive outcomes after CM. This study used self-report measures from 157 undergraduates who endorsed CM experiences, and tested combined parallel-sequential multiple mediation models of wellbeing. Hypothesized models linked CM severity to lower wellbeing through reduced self-compassion and subsequent emotion dysregulation and through lower trait mindfulness and subsequent emotion dysregulation. As anticipated, there was a negative indirect effect of CM on wellbeing through lower self-compassion and more emotion dysregulation (CI = -.09, -.01). Unexpectedly, there was no indirect effect through mindfulness and emotion dysregulation. When facets of mindfulness were tested separately, a negative indirect effect only emerged through lower non-judging and emotion dysregulation (CI = -.22, -.02). Results suggest that, in mindfulness-based interventions with CM survivors, self-compassion and non-judging may be critical targets for fostering wellbeing, as their absence may impede emotion regulation capacity.