Charting Behavioral Cascades from Difficult Experiences to Well-Being or Distress: Testing the Unified Flexibility & Mindfulness Model with Network Analyses of Longitudinal Change

This study used 2-wave longitudinal data to evaluate the Unified Flexibility & Mindfulness (UFM) model – a model serving as a conceptual bridge between the mindfulness and ACT literatures. A sample of 1242 adults living in the US (76% female, 84% White, 70% heterosexual, M(age) = 50.7 years, SD = 18.3 years, 31% with a bachelor’s degree, 46% with a graduate degree, 23% with an associate’s degree or less) completed two 30-minute online surveys roughly one month apart. Results of network analyses run on change scores of the 14 behavioral repertoires of the UFM were supportive of the model. Proximal associations emerged tracing a possible adaptive mechanistic chain linking increases in engaging mindful lenses to promote awareness of difficult experiences (describing, observing, present moment awareness) to corresponding increases in flexible decentering of those difficult experiences (acceptance, self-as-context, defusion), to increases in value-driven behavior even in the midst of difficult experiences and setbacks (maintaining contact with values, committed action toward goals), to increases in well-being (life satisfaction, peace of mind, effective coping, subjective happiness). Proximal associations emerged outlining a possible maladaptive mechanistic chain linking increases in the use of an inattentive/distracted lens (lack of present moment awareness) to increases in defensively reacting to difficult experiences (experiential avoidance, fusion, self-as-content), to increases in aimless and haphazard behavior in the face of difficult experiences (losing touch with values, getting stuck in inaction), to decreases in well-being and increases in psychological distress (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, perceived stress). The results highlighted the processes of the two center stages of the UFM model (fusion, defusion, maintaining contact with values) as some of the most central and influential processes, suggesting that improvement on those processes would likely facilitate improvement on a number of nearby upstream and downstream processes. Implications are discussed.