Mindful disposition, worry and rumination. The role of “judgment” and the role of “observation” in psychological wellbeing

Abstract: Introduction: Mindful disposition may be present in individuals to greater or lesser extent regardless of formal meditation practice, and it may have significant correlations with wellbeing variables. In the present study, we investigated the relations among mindful disposition, depression, rumination, and positive/negative emotions. Method: 283 participants filled out the following questionnaires: FFMQ Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006). BDI Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, 1967). PANAS Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scales (Watson & Clark, 1988). RRS Ruminative Response Scale (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991). Results: Data analyses show that mindful disposition is positively correlated to positive emotions. The Observe subscale of the FFMQ is positively correlated to rumination (RRS), suggesting that the mere capacity of observing a phenomenon (be it emotion, thought, sensation, etc.) is not sufficient in order to better cope with it. Mindful disposition is also negatively correlated with negative emotions, except for the subscale Observe, showing once again that the sole act of observing does not correspond to distancing, on the contrary, the mere process of observation is correlated to an increase of negative emotions. Interestingly, Non-judge is the mindful facet more negatively correlated to depression. Discussion: Research results confirm literature data on the correlation between mindful disposition and some variables of psychological wellbeing. Particularly evident is the relationship between depression and judgment. This relation might have interesting clinical implications, suggesting that, in order to intervene on depressed mood and depressive cognitions in psychotherapy, the variable “judgment” could be particularly relevant.