Examining Traumatic Experiences, Automatic Thoughts, and Interpersonal Mindfulness Post the Land Subsidence Tragedy in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

This study explored the relationships between Traumatic Experiences, Automatic Thoughts, and Interpersonal Mindfulness in a sample of 200 participants in Joshimath following the land subsidence tragedy. Higher trauma experiences correlate with more frequent negative automatic thoughts (rho= 0.802, p<.001). Interpersonal mindfulness had a negative correlation with both traumatic experiences (rho= -0.700, p <.001) and automatic thoughts (rho= -0.613, p <.001). The regression analysis showed that Traumatic Experiences strongly predicted Automatic Thoughts (Estimate= 0.6798, SE= 0.0561, p <.001), while Interpersonal Mindfulness had a negative moderating influence on this association (Estimate = -0.0795, SE= 0.0324, p=.015). The mediation analysis revealed that Interpersonal Mindfulness partially mediated the relationship between Traumatic Experiences and Automatic Thoughts, with considerable indirect effects. Path analysis found that trauma has a positive impact on Automatic Thoughts (path coefficient = 0.68) and a direct negative effect on Interpersonal Mindfulness (path coefficient= -368.00) while having a positive impact on Automatic Thoughts (path coefficient= 0.68). Traumatic experiences were negatively associated with each mindfulness dimension, non-judging, non-reactivity, presence, and awareness. The findings suggest that trauma-informed mindfulness interventions could effectively reduce negative automatic thoughts and improve mindfulness in individuals exposed to traumatic experiences. This highlights the potential for incorporating mindfulness practices to mitigate interpersonal experiences that are associated with the cognitive and emotional impacts of trauma.