The Mediating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness in the Associations Between Intimate Violence, Self-esteem, and Distress Among Adolescents.

Objectives: Although dating violence has been recognized as a major public health issue considering its high prevalence and deleterious consequences, little research has been conducted on the potential mechanisms through which dating violence is associated with negative psychological outcomes. The aim of this study was to test the mediational effect of dispositional mindfulness on the relationship between dating violence (victimization and perpetration), psychological distress, and self-esteem by including measures of both current and previous dating violence and by controlling for gender, age, and dating relationship length. Methods: The sample consisted of 227 adolescents (127 girls and 100 boys) aged between 15 and 17 old recruited in a small urban area. They completed measures of previous and current experiences of dating victimization and perpetration, the K10 psychological distress scale, the Self-Description Questionnaire which measures self-esteem, and the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure. Results: The results showed that previous dating violence victimization was associated with lower dispositional mindfulness, which in turn was related to lower self-esteem and higher psychological distress, suggesting a mediation through dispositional mindfulness. However, in the integrative model, previous dating violence perpetration was not associated with dispositional mindfulness, self-esteem, or psychological distress. Conclusions: These results indicate the importance of previous dating violence victimization and its association with lower dispositional mindfulness, leading to lower self-esteem and higher psychological distress in teenagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]