Mindfulness and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity in Urban African-American High School Students.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to examine the relations among mindfulness, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, and stressful life events (SLEs) in African-American urban adolescents. Another aim was to examine mindfulness as a moderator of the relation between SLEs and PTSD symptom severity in this population. METHOD: Eighty-eight African-American high school students from a low-income urban community completed measures of demographics, PTSD symptom severity, SLEs, and mindfulness. RESULTS: Mindfulness was significantly negatively related to PTSD symptom severity, r(86) = -.70, p < .001, 95% CI [-.58, -79], and SLEs were significantly positively related to PTSD symptom severity, r(86) = .29, p = .003, 95% CI [.09, .47]. Mindfulness was an independent predictor of PTSD symptom severity after accounting for SLEs, B = -1.16, t(84) = -9.06, p < .001, 95% CI [-1.41, -0.90], and SLEs were an independent predictor of PTSD symptom severity after accounting for mindfulness, B = 0.49, t(84) = 2.92, p = .004, 95% CI [0.16, 0.82]. Mindfulness did not moderate the relation between SLEs and PTSD symptom severity, B = -.003, t(84) = -0.15, p = .89, 95% CI [-.04, .03]. IMPLICATIONS: This study has implications for both mindfulness as a potential protective factor against PTSD symptom severity and SLEs as a potential risk factor for increased PTSD symptom severity in African-American urban adolescents.

Psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) in racial minority adolescents from low-income environments.

No study has yet assessed the psychometric properties of scores from any mindfulness measure in racial minority adolescents from low-income environments. The present study examined the reliability and validity of Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) scores in a nonclinical sample of late adolescents (N = 92) from low-income neighborhoods who predominantly identified as African American. Findings confirmed a one-factor structure for responses to the 10 CAMM items as well as adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .88). In support of validity, CAMM scores demonstrated large significant negative correlations with scores from measures of constructs that should be negatively related to mindfulness, including depressive symptoms, worry, ruminative coping, and involuntary engagement responses to stress. Thus, CAMM scores appear to reliably and validly assess mindfulness in racial minority adolescents from low-income environments. Having a psychometrically sound mindfulness measure for this population will aid in understanding the mechanisms by which mindfulness-based interventions work, which could lead to improved interventions and outcomes for this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).