Abstract
The disproportionate impact of mental health issues on Latinx individuals and disparities in access to mental health care have been well-documented. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce symptoms of numerous mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders (Creswell, 2017; Hofmann et al., 2010; Polusny et al., 2015). However, Latinx communities do not practice mindfulness at the same rate as other groups (Olano et al., 2015). Research has not yet examined if and how acculturation into American culture and the Latinx values of familismo, machismo, and religiosity relate to mindfulness practice in Latinx individuals. This research study aims to address that gap. This dissertation explored the effect of cultural values on mindfulness duration and barriers, identified the most impactful barriers to mindfulness practice, and examined the mediating role of cultural values that may explain demographic differences. One hundred and seventeen Latinx adults (M=32.25, SD=8.63; 50% female) participated in this study. Results showed no significant relationships between values and mindfulness duration or barriers. However, this study did find that bisexual and gay participants reported more mindfulness barriers than heterosexual participants; and male participants reported more mindfulness barriers than female participants. It also identified impactful mindfulness barriers, notably misperceptions about mindfulness including its perceived unproductiveness and potential religious conflicts, highlighting the importance of dispelling such misconceptions in outreach programs.