Trait Mindfulness Helps Explain the Relationships Between Job Stress, Physiological Reactivity, and Self-Perceived Health.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess, for the first time, the associations among work stress as measured by the job-demands resources (JD-R) model, trait mindfulness, and indices of the physiological stress response. Dairy farmers (N = 79) completed job stress (using the JD-R model), trait mindfulness, burnout, and self-reported health questionnaires and provided physiological indices of the stress response. Our findings suggest that those reporting higher mindfulness have better physical and mental health, and that being more mindful may buffer the effects of a large cortisol awakening response on poor physical health. Although assessments of both psychological and physiological indicators of stress and ill-health will inform the underlying mechanisms of the associations between work stress and disease, assessing the role of trait mindfulness in this relationship may prove useful.