Unveiling the Mechanisms of Dispositional Mindfulness and Mental Health: A Study of Secondary School Teachers in Palu, Indonesia
Abstract
Teachers in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, face complex professional pressures, including post-disaster recovery and a rapid transition to digital administration. This study aims to uncover the mechanisms linking mindfulness and mental health among secondary school teachers in Palu by exploring the mediating role of acceptance and the moderating role of age. A mixed-method approach with a sequential explanatory design was employed. The quantitative phase involved 66 junior and senior high school teachers selected through purposive sampling. The participants completed two instruments: the Dispositional Mindfulness at Work Scale and the Mental Health Inventory. Data were analyzed using linear regression and the PROCESS Macro for mediation and moderation testing, followed by thematic analysis in the qualitative phase to deepen the findings from the in-depth interviews with selected participants. The results indicated that correlation and simple regression analyses confirmed that dispositional mindfulness was a significant predictor of mental health, explaining 21% of its variance (B = 0.390, p < .001). Further analysis revealed a full mediation effect of the acceptance component, indicating that dispositional mindfulness requires an accepting attitude to effectively enhance teacher mental health. Additionally, age was a significant moderator (B = -0.048, p = .003), with the protective impact of dispositional mindfulness being notably greater for early-career teachers. Qualitatively, these mechanisms were found to be harmoniously integrated with the local wisdom of Nosarara Nosabatutu. Dispositional mindfulness emerged as the primary psychological resource supporting teacher resilience in a post-disaster, high-digital-demand environment. These findings provide an empirical basis for prioritizing mindfulness-based psychoeducation and interventions in guidance and counseling services.
Downloads
References
Aziz, R. (2019). Analisis Faktor Konfirmatori Terhadap Alat Ukur Kesehatan Mental Berdasarkan Teori Dual Model. Psikoislamika: Jurnal Psikologi Dan Psikologi Islam, 16(2), 1–7.
Beverage, S., DeLong, K., Herold, I. M. H., & Neufeld, K. (2014). Mindful leadership defined and explained. Advances in Librarianship, 38, 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020140000038000
Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., Segal, Z. V., Abbey, S., Speca, M., Velting, D., & Devins, G. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 230–241. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bph077
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(1), 822–848.
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4), 211–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/10478400701598298
Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54(3), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.3.165
Catak, P. D. (2012). The Turkish version of the cognitive and affective mindfulness Scale-Revised. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 8(4), 603–619. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v8i4.436
Creswell, J. W. (2017). Research Design: Pendekatan Kualitatif, Kuantitatif, dan Campuran. Alih bahasa oleh Achmad Fawaid dan Rianayati Kusmini Pancasari. Pustaka Pelajar.
Dane, E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310367948
Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2011). Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management: Mindfulness at Work. Career Development International Journal of Management Development, 30(1), 115–157.
Good, D. J., Lyddy, C. J., Glomb, T. M., Bono, J. E., Brown, K. W., Duffy, M. K., Baer, R. A., Brewer, J. A., & Lazar, S. W. (2016). Contemplating Mindfulness at Work: An Integrative Review. Journal of Management, 42(1), 114–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315617003
Gross, J. J., & Thompson, R. (2007). Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations. In J. J. Gross (Eds.) Handbook of Emotion Regulation. Guilford Press.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The Prosocial Classroom: Teacher Social and Emotional Competence in Relation to Student and Classroom Outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325693
Kertih, I. W. (2014). Pendidikan Budaya dan Karakter Bangsa Melalui Integrasi Mata Pelajaran Ilmu pengetahuan sosial Berbasis Kearifan Lokal Bali [Disertasi]. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.
Langer, E. J., & Moldoveanu, M. (2000). The construct of mindfulness. Journal of Social Issues, 56(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00148
Levinthal, D., & Rerup, C. (2006). Crossing an apparent chasm: Bridging mindful and less-mindful perspectives on organizational learning. Organization Science, 17(4), 502–513.
Li, L. Y., Meng, X., Hu, W. T., Geng, J. Sen, Cheng, T. H., Luo, J. C., Hu, M. Y., Li, H. Y., Wang, Y., & Wang, Y. Y. (2023). A meta-analysis of the association between mindfulness and motivation. In Frontiers in Public Health (Vol. 11). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1159902
Lindsay, E. K., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT). Clinical Psychology Review, 51, 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.10.011
Long, E. C., & Christian, M. S. (2015). Mindfulness buffers retaliatory responses to injustice: A regulatory approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(5), 1409.
Maharani, E. A. (2015). Eksplorasi mindful teaching sebagai strategi inovatif dalam pembelajaran bagi guru PAUD . Seminar Nasional Pendidikan, 152–158.
Mansfield, C. F., Beltman, S., Broadley, T., & Weatherby-Fell, N. (2016). Building resilience in teacher education: An evidenced informed framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 77–87.
Mashabi, S., & Prastiwi, M. (2025). Federasi Guru: Ada 60 Kasus Kekerasan di Sekolah Sepanjang 2025. Kompas.com
McBrearty, S. (2024). Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024.
Misnah. (2018). Implementasi Pembelajaran Berbasis Kearifan Lokal Etnik Kaili Nosarara Nosabatutu Sebagai Proses Pembelajaran Sejarah Lokal Di Sman 2 Sigi Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.
Nasru, N. R., Puswiartika, D., Lestari, M., & Hasan, H. (2025). Pengaruh Dispositional Mindfulness Terhadap Psychological Well Being Mahasiswa Tingkat Akhir yang Sedang Menyusun Skripsi. Jurnal Kolaboratif Sains, 8(8), 5407–5416. https://doi.org/10.56338/jks.v8i8.8333
Pagnini, F., Thoolen, S., Smith, N., Van Ombergen, A., Grosso, F., Langer, E., & Phillips, D. (2024). Mindfulness disposition as a protective factor against stress in Antarctica: A potential countermeasure for long-duration spaceflight? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102254
Puswiartika, D. (2022). Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Teknik Praktis Mindfulness untuk Menjaga Kesehatan Mental (D. Mawardi, Ed.; 1st ed.). Azkiya Publishing. www.peakpx.com
Puswiartika, D., Ratu, B., Gagaramusu, Y., & Inayah, P. (2024). Development of a Mindfulness Intervention Guide as an Effort to Optimize Self-Love to Maintain Student Mental Health. Jurnal Aisyah: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.30604/jika.v9i1.2609
Puswiartika, D., Ratu, B., Misnah, M., Iskandar, I., & Hasan, H. (2021). Dispositional Mindfulness as Psychological Resource of College Students in COVID-19 Pandemic. Review of International Geographical Education (RIGEO), 11(12), 477–485. https://doi.org/10.48047/rigeo.11.12.47
Puswiartika, D., Ratu, B., Misnah, M., Munifah, M., & Silalahi, M. (2021). Anxiety Profile of College Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: Descriptive and Comparative Study. In S. Menggo, Y. S. Lon, F. Widyawati, A. P. Yuliantari, & R. Rahim (Eds.), Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Education, Humanities, Health and Agriculture (ICEHHA) 2021. European Alliance for Innovation (EAI). https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.3-6-2021.2310714
Puswiartika, D., Ratu, B., & Nur, R. (2025). Dispositional Mindfulness as an Internal Resource to Optimize Mental Health at Work. Journal of The Community Development in Asia, 8(2), 233–248. https://doi.org/10.32535/jcda.v8i2.3852
Puswiartika, D., Sulastiana, M., Hinduan, Z. R., & Harding, D. (2018). Mindful Teaching: A Narrative Exploration of Mindfulness. In D. K. Walanda (Ed.), Proceedings of the First Indonesian Communication Forum of Teacher Training and Education Faculty Leaders International Conference on Education 2017 (ICE 2017). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/ice-17.2018.35
Rasido, I., Hasan, H., Puswiartika, D., Munifah, M., Riyadi, N. E. W., & Diniy, Muh. Y. (2026). Coping Strategies as Protective Factors for Mental Health and Work Readiness Among Students (pp. 211–221). https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-537-9_19
Ratu, B., Misnah, M., & Amirullah, M. (2019). Peace Education Based on Local Wisdom Nosarara Nosabatutu. JOMSIGN: Journal of Multicultural Studies in Guidance and Counseling, 3(2), 106–118.
Ratu, B., Puswiartika, D., Rasido, I., Nurwahyuni, N., Herlina, H., Malla, H. A. B., & Rinaldi, A. W. (2023). Internalisasi Budaya Damai Nosarara Nosabatutu untuk Meningkatkan Dispositional Mindfulness pada Guru. Jurnal Konseling Dan Pendidikan, 11(2), 103. https://doi.org/10.29210/184700
Reb, J., & Atkins, P. W. (2015). Mindfulness in organizations: Foundations, research, and applications. In Mindfulness in Organizations: Foundations, Research, and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107587793
Saleem, F., Chikhaoui, E., & Malik, M. I. (2024). Technostress in students and quality of online learning: role of instructor and university support. Frontiers in Education, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1309642
Schulze-Hagenest, T., Carstensen, B., Weber, K., Jansen, T., Meyer, J., Köller, O., & Klusmann, U. (2023). Teachers’ emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction: How much does the school context matter? Teaching and Teacher Education, 136, 104360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104360
Sugiyono. (2013). Metode Penelitian Pendidikan (Pendekatan Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D). Alfabeta.
Urry, H. L., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Emotion Regulation in Older Age. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(6), 352–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721410388395
Veit, C. T., & Ware, J. E. (1983). The Structure of Psychological Distress and Well-Being in General Populations. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(5), 730–742.
Verdorfer, A. P. (2016). Examining Mindfulness and Its Relations to Humility, Motivation to Lead, and Actual Servant Leadership Behaviors. Mindfulness, 7(4), 950–961. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0534-8
Wahyono, P., & Husamah, H. (2020). Guru profesional di masa pandemi COVID-19: Review implementasi, tantangan, dan solusi pembelajaran daring. Jurnal Pendidikan Profesi Guru, 1(1), 51–65. https://ejournal.umm.ac.id/index.php/jppg/article/view/12462/pdf
Zarate, K., Maggin, D. M., & Passmore, A. (2019). Meta‐analysis of mindfulness training on teacher well‐being. Psychology in the Schools, 56(10), 1700–1715. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22308
Copyright (c) 2026 Dhevy Puswiartika, Bau Ratu, Dini Rakhmawati, Azam Arifyadi, Munifah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution that allows the sharing of articles published with the acknowledgement of authorship and the initial publication in this magazine.
2) The authors are authorized to make additional contracts separately for distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (for example, publication in an institutional repository or as a chapter of the book), as long as there is recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are authorized and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (for example, in institutional repositories or on their personal pages) at any time before or during the editorial process, as it increases the impact and reference of the published work.
