In plain language
Mindfulness and nonattachment both come from Eastern contemplative traditions, but they are not the same thing. Mindfulness is about paying attention purposefully in the present moment without judgment or impulsive reaction. Nonattachment is a flexible, balanced way of relating to your experiences without clinging to them or suppressing them. This study asked a basic scientific question: is nonattachment genuinely a separate construct from mindfulness, or just mindfulness by another name?
The researchers surveyed a large, nationally representative sample of 7,884 American adults (52% women, average age 48) using the 20-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, which measures observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity, and the 7-item Nonattachment Scale (NAS-7). They then used structural equation modeling to test whether the two measures could be told apart statistically, whether they worked the same way across genders and age groups, and whether nonattachment predicted outcomes beyond what mindfulness alone could explain.
Nonattachment was positively related to all five facets of mindfulness, yet was clearly empirically distinguishable from each of them, and it added unique predictive power. Most strikingly, nonattachment substantially mediated the links between mindfulness facets and both satisfaction with life and life effectiveness. This supports the theory that mindfulness may improve people's lives partly by helping them let go, that is, by increasing nonattachment.
Key findings
- In a nationally representative sample of 7,884 American adults, nonattachment was positively related to all five facets of mindfulness (observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity).
- Structural equation modeling showed the NAS-7 was empirically distinguishable from all five mindfulness facets, confirming nonattachment as a distinct construct.
- The factor structures of both the 20-item FFMQ and the NAS-7 fit the data well and were invariant across genders and age groups.
- Hierarchical regression demonstrated the incremental validity of nonattachment: it predicted outcomes over and above the mindfulness facets.
- Nonattachment mediated 68% of the total effect of describing, 32% of nonjudging, and 50% of nonreactivity on satisfaction with life.
- For life effectiveness, nonattachment mediated 35% of the total effect of observing, 30% of describing, and 55% of nonreactivity, supporting nonattachment as a likely mechanism by which mindfulness leads to positive outcomes.
How to cite
APA
Sahdra, B., Ciarrochi, J., & Parker, P. (2016). Nonattachment and mindfulness: Related but distinct constructs. Psychological Assessment, 28(7), 819-829. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000264
BibTeX
@article{sahdra2016nonattachment,
title = {Nonattachment and Mindfulness: Related but Distinct Constructs},
author = {Sahdra, Baljinder and Ciarrochi, Joseph and Parker, Philip},
journal = {Psychological Assessment},
volume = {28},
number = {7},
pages = {819--829},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1037/pas0000264}
}
Related work
- All publications by Joseph Ciarrochi (searchable, with free PDFs)
- Process-Based Therapy & Idionomic Analysis
- Nonattachment research & practices (non-attachment.com)
Author: Joseph Ciarrochi (ORCID 0000-0003-0471-8100). Free copy hosted with permission for scholarly use. Please cite the published version via the DOI above.