Objective: This study examined the mediating role of cognitive distortions (CDs) in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness (DM) and psychological distress, and considered gender as a potential moderator of these mediation models.
Participants: Four hundred and forty-six college students (63.9% female; M = 20.52 years; 87.4% undergraduate, 12.6% graduate level) participated.
Methods: Self-report measures of DM, CDs, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress were completed with data collected from April to October of 2020.
Results: Females scored significantly higher than males on anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and CDs. CDs partially mediated the relationship between DM and all psychological distress variables. Gender moderated the mediation model predicting anxiety, with the indirect effect of DM on anxiety via CDs being stronger for females than males.
Conclusion: Results support CDs as a possible mechanism underlying the association between DM and psychological distress with implications for targeting cognitive patterns in mindfulness-based interventions with college students.
Keywords: Cognitive distortions; college students; dispositional mindfulness; psychological distress.