The Role of Mindfulness in the Relationships Between Childhood Adversity and Borderline and Psychopathic Traits

Abstract

Purpose

Previous research suggests that childhood adversity is related to borderline and psychopathic traits indirectly through insecure attachment. Because these personality traits and insecure attachment are also associated with a lack of mindfulness, the purpose of the present study was to determine the exact nature of the impact of mindfulness within this model (mindfulness was examined as an additional mediator and also as a moderator in the indirect relationships described above).

Method

Participants (n = 299) completed questionnaires on Amazon Mechanical Turk measuring childhood adversity (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), attachment (Trent Relationship Structures Questionnaire), mindfulness (Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills), and borderline (Borderline Symptom List) and psychopathic (Self Report Psychopathy Scale 4) traits. Data were analysed using Bayesian methodology in the R software platform.

Results

As expected, the relationships between childhood adversity and borderline and psychopathic traits were indirect through insecure attachment, replicating previous findings. Furthermore, mindfulness was found to be a mediator in the relationships between adversity and borderline, factor 1, and factor 2 psychopathic traits. In terms of moderated mediation, mindfulness did not moderate any of the indirect relationships.

Conclusions

The results support the idea that mindfulness may be an additional mediator in the relationship between childhood adversity and borderline/psychopathic traits and also support further exploration of mindfulness and attachment as potential areas for intervention.