The Role of Mindfulness and Psychological Inflexibility in regulating psychological distress in non-clinical Asian American sample

The present study examined the relations among mindfulness, psychological inflexibility (PI), and various forms of psychological distress (e.g. somatization, depression, and anxiety) in Asian American undergraduate students (N=116). We hypothesized that mindfulness and PI would be uniquely and separately associated with various forms of psychological distress. Data was gathered from undergraduate students from different Asian countries using a web based survey (Mage =19.89, SD=2.72). We used the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) to measure various psychological distresses. To measure PI we used the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used to measure mindfulness. Results of path analyses revealed that mindfulness and psychological inflexibility were significantly and uniquely associated with depression, anxiety and somatization. More specifically, PI was positively associated with depression, anxiety and somatization while mindfulness was negatively related to with these variables. These findings suggest the applicability of PI and mindfulness to understand the various forms of distress experienced by Asian American students.