Incremental validity of mindfulness-based attention in relation to the concurrent prediction of anxiety and depressive symptomatology and perceptions of health.

This investigation evaluated the role of mindfulness-based attention in concurrently predicting anxiety and depressive symptomatology and perceived health functioning in a community sample of 170 young adults (95 females; mean age (Mage) = 22.2 years, SD = 7.6). Partially consistent with prediction, results indicated that, relative to negative and positive affectivity and emotional expression and processing associated with approach-oriented coping, mindfulness-based attention incrementally predicted anhedonic depressive, but not anxious arousal, symptoms. Additionally, consistent with prediction, mindfulness-based attention demonstrated incremental validity in relation to perceived health, and the degree of impairment of health in terms of physical and mental functioning. Results are discussed in relation to the construct development of mindfulness-based attention, and specifically, the role(s) of this factor in emotional and physical health processes.

Neuroticism moderates the effect of maximum smoking level on lifetime panic disorder: a test using an epidemiologically defined national sample of smokers.

The present study evaluated a moderational model of neuroticism on the relation between smoking level and panic disorder using data from the National Comorbidity Survey. Participants (n=924) included current regular smokers, as defined by a report of smoking regularly during the past month. Findings indicated that a generalized tendency to experience negative affect (neuroticism) moderated the effects of maximum smoking frequency (i.e., number of cigarettes smoked per day during the period when smoking the most) on lifetime history of panic disorder even after controlling for drug dependence, alcohol dependence, major depression, dysthymia, and gender. These effects were specific to panic disorder, as no such moderational effects were apparent for other anxiety disorders. Results are discussed in relation to refining recent panic-smoking conceptual models and elucidating different pathways to panic-related problems.