Digital Commons @ SPU

Loneliness and stress: Examining the roles of negative social evaluation and dispositional mindfulness

This study examined the relations between loneliness, psychological stress, negative social evaluation (NSE), and dispositional mindfulness in college students (N = 119). We expected that NSE would mediate the relationship between loneliness and psychological stress, and that this effect would be conditional on mindfulness. Results supported our hypothesis. Specifically, at low levels of mindfulness, the relationship between loneliness and psychological stress through NSE was negative (95% CI [.033, .307] and [.013, .209]). Conversely, at moderate and high levels of mindfulness, the relationship was insignificant. These findings suggest that mindfulness may buffer against the negative impact of loneliness on psychological stress.