The Role of Attentional Control in Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Longitudinal Mediation Analyses.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether attentional control serves as a mediator for mindfulness-based interventions for emotional distress, utilizing a randomized waitlist (WL)-controlled design.

Methods: A total of 498 participants with high emotional distress was recruited online and randomly assigned to a 49-day online Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress (MIED) group (N = 249) or a WL control group (N = 249). Levels of attentional control, anxiety and depression were assessed at baseline (T0), Week 3 (T3), Week 5 (T5) and Week 7 (postintervention, T7).