Accept what you observe: A conditional process model linking mindfulness facets, threat appraisal, and perceived stress in German college students

In the current study, we used a conditional process model to examine the interaction between two facets of mindfulness—observing and acceptance—in predicting threat appraisal and thereby indirectly predicting perceived stress in an academic context. German college students (N = 214) completed questionnaires at two time points during the semester. Results supported our hypotheses. Acceptance moderated the direct effect of observing on threat appraisal and also the indirect effect of observing on perceived stress via threat appraisal. In particular, observing was negatively related to threat appraisal among individuals with high acceptance levels and was positively related among individuals with low acceptance levels. Furthermore, observing exerted an indirect effect on perceived stress via threat appraisal only when acceptance was very high or very low. This study sheds light on the conditions under which observing one's own experiences can be either detrimental or beneficial.