ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Mindfulness
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1630101
This article is part of the Research TopicMindfulness in trauma recovery: Applications, insights, and future directionsView all articles
Mindful Awareness and its Association with Cumulative Adversity, Autonomic Reactivity, and Current Functioning
Provisionally accepted
Audrey N. Dana1*
Jenna L. Pennella2,3
Donnalea Van Vleet Goelz1,2
Britney N. Duner1Allison B. Ventura1
Sara M. Giraldo2Steven P. Cuffe1
Stephen W Porges1,4
Lourdes P. Dale1- 1Psychiatry, College of Medicine - Jacksonville, University of Florida, Jacksonville, United States
- 2Psychology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, United States
- 3Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, United States
- 4Traumatic Stress Research Consortium, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
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Background: Prior adversity may retune autonomic regulation and impede the ability to access a calm physiological state that would support mindful awareness, which is the facet of mindfulness focused on being present and accepting of the current moment. We investigated 1) how mindful awareness relates to cumulative adversity, autonomic reactivity, and current functioning; and 2) whether mindful awareness ameliorates the negative impact of cumulative adversity and autonomic reactivity on current functioning. Method: Participants (N = 1,542; ages 18-88) reported living in the US and experiencing at least one adversity. They completed online measures assessing their mindful awareness, cumulative adversity, autonomic reactivity, dysfunctional coping strategies, emotional distress, and PTSD symptoms. Results: Regression analyses revealed that the strongest predictor of greater mindful awareness was lower autonomic reactivity, which minimized the impact of cumulative adversity. Mediational analyses suggested that autonomic reactivity may mediate the relationship between cumulative adversity and mindful awareness. Regression analysis suggested higher autonomic reactivity remained the strongest predictor of poorer current functioning. Conclusions: Our research suggests that individuals with adversity histories may need to address both their mindful awareness and autonomic dysregulation to improve their current functioning.
Keywords: mindful awareness, adversity, autonomic reactivity, dysfunctional coping strategies, Emotional distress, PTSD
Received: 16 May 2025; Accepted: 03 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dana, Pennella, Van Vleet Goelz, Duner, Ventura, Giraldo, Cuffe, Porges and Dale. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Audrey N. Dana, Psychiatry, College of Medicine - Jacksonville, University of Florida, Jacksonville, United States
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