1. Associations among Executive Function, Mindfulness, and Bullying in Adolescence
Nathaniel R. Riggs1, Anamara Ritt-Olson1, Maeve O’Donnell2, Johanna Lopez1, David S. Black3, & Kelly Gonynor1
1Colorado State University, Human Development & Family Studies
2Colorado State University, Department of Psychology
3University of Southern California, Department of Preventive Medicine
Introduction
Method
Mediation Analyses
Participants
134, 7th and 8th grade youth from one urban and one rural Colorado school (Mean age = 12.88).
Fifty-eight percent received free/reduced lunch, 51% were female, 38% were Caucasian, 32% Hispanic/Latino, 11% African-American, and 18% mixed/bi-racial.
Measures
Covariates- Free Lunch Status, Ethnicity, and Sex
Bullying- 18 items from the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (Parada, 2000). 2 items from the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009).
EF- 80 items from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Gioia et al., 2000). Items were reverse scored such that higher scores = greater EF proficiency.
Mindfulness- 14 items from the Mindfulness Awareness Scale-Adolescent Version (Brown et al., 2011). Items were reverse scored such that higher scores = greater mindfulness.
Analyses
General linear models tested cross-sectional associations between mindfulness and EF (separately) and bullying (physical, social, verbal, and electronic).
Mediational analyses tested the hypothesis that mindfulness mediated direct associations between EF and bullying.
Bullying involves persistent, unwanted, aggressive behavior involving a real or perceived power imbalance.
Bullying can be physical, relational, isolational, or electronic.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 28% of all 6th to 12th grade students experience bullying (DeVoe & Bauer, 2011).
The prevalence and severe consequences of bullying, as well as the limited number of evidence-based bullying interventions argues for continued identification of empirically-grounded mediators to bullying behavior.
Due to their putative relationships with behavioral control and emotion regulation, executive function (EF; neurocognitive skills necessary for conscious control of thought and emotion) and mindfulness (sustained focus on and non-judgmental awareness of present moment experience) are potential targets for bullying prevention programs.
This study tested cross-sectional associations among EF, mindfulness, and bullying among 148, 6th and 7th grade youth. Potential mediating pathways were also explored.
Conclusions
When entered individually, EF proficiency and mindfulness were negatively associated with bullying.
Mediation models demonstrate that the direct associations between EF and bullying are potentially mediated by mindfulness.
The implication is that mindfulness may function as the “embodiment” of EF.
Study limitations include that data are cross-sectional. Longitudinal models will be required to confirm mediational hypotheses.
Results
General Linear Models
Bullying
Physical
Relational
Isolational
Electronic
Free Lunch
.12
-.04
.11
-.22
White
-.03
-.16
-.08
-.19
Latino/Hispanic
Black/African American
.09
.02
-.13
Male
.35***
.29***
.28***
-.17
Executive Function
-.25**
-.05
-.20*
-.26**
Values represent standardized Betas
* = p < .05, ** = p < .01, *** = p < .001
Bullying
Physical
Relational
Isolational
Electronic
Free Lunch
.13
-.05
.12
-.09
White
-.07
-.19
-.11
-.06
Latino/Hispanic
.00
-.08
-.02
Black/African American
.17
.01
-.04
-.14
Male
.39***
.30***
.31***
Mindfulness
-.33***
-.22**
-.24**
Values represent standardized Betas
* = p < .05, ** = p < .01, *** = p < .001