Mindful Navigators: An Empirical Investigation into the Relationship between Dispositional Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation Strategies among Adults of Sikkim

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21306180

Pranaw Chhetri and Jyotika Sharma (Department of Psychology, Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim)

This study examined the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation strategies among adults in Sikkim using a cross-sectional quantitative research design. The sample consisted of 408 participants (mean age = 27.49 years), equally divided across gender and meditation practice. Dispositional mindfulness was assessed using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-15), and emotion regulation strategies were measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between dispositional mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal ® = .39, p < .01), indicating that individuals with higher mindfulness are more likely to use adaptive emotion regulation strategies. In contrast, no significant relationship was found between dispositional mindfulness and expressive suppression. Regression analysis further demonstrated that dispositional mindfulness significantly predicted cognitive reappraisal, explaining a meaningful proportion of variance, with observing, describing, and acting with awareness emerging as key contributing facets. Additionally, individuals who practiced meditation reported higher levels of dispositional mindfulness and greater use of both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression compared to non-meditators. These findings suggest that mindfulness plays an important role in enhancing adaptive emotional functioning. The results also highlight the role of cultural context, where expressive suppression may function as a socially adaptive strategy. Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of developing culturally sensitive mindfulness-based interventions to promote mental health and emotional well-being among adults in Sikkim. The findings also contribute to existing literature by highlighting regional perspectives and encouraging future research on culturally grounded psychological processes and intervention development in similar populations for better mental health outcomes.