Dispositional mindfulness as a protective factor: Longitudinal effects on the relationship between morningness-eveningness, affective functioning, and depressive and anxiety symptoms

Multiple research shows that morningness-eveningness is associated with affective functioning. Specifically, eveningness is associated with lower positive affect, higher negative affect, and higher mental health problems, while morningness shows the opposite correlation. Previous research indicated how the negative consequences of eveningness may be modified by individuals' psychological characteristics, such as personality and temperamental traits, or religiosity. Additionally, research indicated that dispositional mindfulness may act as a protective factor against higher depressive and anxiety symptoms among evening types. The present study explores the longitudinal effects of dispositional mindfulness on these relationships, extending the investigation to examine its impact on positive and negative affect. The study was conducted on a group of 660 individuals (319 women and 341 men) aged 19-55 (<i>M</i> ± <i>SD</i>: 38.08 ± 9.60), with data collected annually. The results showed that eveningness is associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as negative affect, and lower mindfulness and positive affect. Furthermore, the findings indicated that higher dispositional mindfulness moderated the link between eveningness and depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as negative affect, over one year. However, this moderation effect did not extend to a positive affect. These results suggest that engaging in mindfulness practices to cultivate and strengthen mindfulness may be beneficial as a supplementary approach in the therapeutic process for evening types. Additionally, the results provide the first evidence of a longitudinal effect of dispositional mindfulness on the relationship between morningness-eveningness and features of mental health and affect.