The Effects of Mindfulness on Shame: Exploring Mediation by Cognitive Flexibility and Self-Compassion in a Chinese Adult Population

Purpose: To examine the effects of mindfulness on shame and the mechanisms mediated by cognitive flexibility and self-compassion in a Chinese adult population. Methods: We conducted two studies. Study 1 was a cross-sectional study using the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Self-Conscious Affect-3, which were administered to 481 adults in Beijing and Chengdu. Study 2: An 8-month follow-up study was conducted on 128 of the adults. Results: The results of Study 1 showed that (1) the Awareness of Action, Nonjudgment dimensions, and the total score of mindfulness was significantly correlated with shame; (2) cognitive flexibility and self-compassion could fully mediate the prediction of mindfulness on shame. The Study 2 showed that (1) mindfulness and shame were significantly negatively correlated in both phases of measurement; (2) controlling for T1 shame, T1 mindfulness was able to negatively predict T2 shame; controlling for T1 mindfulness, T1 shame was not able to predict T2 mindfulness. Conclusions: (1) There is a longitudinal causal relationship between mindfulness and shame; (2) both cognitive flexibility and self-compassion can provide explanations for the prediction of shame by mindfulness. Enhancing levels of mindfulness can help alleviate individuals' shame levels.