Rumination and alexithymia serially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms in Chinese university students.
Scientific reports July 16, 2025 Junchao Yuan, Luyu Chen, Hongye Geng 1 citation
Higher mindfulness is associated with lower anxiety symptoms among Chinese university students, and this relationship is explained by two interconnected pathways: lower rumination and lower alexithymia. A sequential pathway also emerged: higher mindfulness correlated with lower rumination, which corresponded to fewer emotional processing difficulties (alexithymia), ultimately associating with fewer anxiety symptoms. These indirect pathways accounted for most of the observed relationship. The findings suggest that interventions addressing both cognitive patterns and emotional regulation may be beneficial for culturally adapted campus mental health programs.