A latent profile analysis of the Big Five personality and mindfulness traits in the general population

Abstract

Understanding how personality and mindfulness traits influence responses to health and wellbeing interventions is important for improving their effectiveness, in particular since there is likely not a one-size-fits-all approach for mindfulness. While various interventions show overall benefits, individual differences likely determine optimal intervention types and doses. A multinational sample of 636 general population adults (57.2 % female) completed self-report measures of personality and mindfulness traits, and state positive and negative affect scales before being randomly assigned to a single mindfulness practice of 5-min, 20-min, or an active control, after which state scales were completed again. The personality and mindfulness data were subjected to latent profile analysis, revealing three profiles, labelled 1) Mindful-adaptive, 2) Reserved-disengaged, and 3) Ruminative-preoccupied. Secondary analyses showed significant medium to large effects for profile 3 (Ruminative-preoccupied) across all groups. For profile 2 (Reserved-disengaged), shorter mindfulness practice had a significant medium to large effect. No significant interactions were found for profile 1 (Mindful-adaptive). Findings suggest that personality-mindfulness profiles predict differential responses to brief interventions. This has practical implications for personalizing health and wellbeing interventions based on individual personality characteristics. Our study provides a novel person-centered approach to understanding intervention effectiveness through personality profiling.