The Association between Trait Mindfulness and Metacognitive Efficiency in Healthy Older Adults

Objectives: Deficits in metacognitive efficiency have been associated with risky decision-making and vulnerability to financial abuse in older individuals. This study investigated the relationship between metacognition and trait mindfulness in healthy older adults, specifically examining metacognitive efficiency in memory and emotion recognition. Methods: Mindfulness was measured using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire - Short Form (FFMQ-SF) while metacognitive efficiency across memory and emotion was captured using participants’ level of metacognitive sensitivity given a certain level of task performance. Results: Partial correlation analyses revealed distinct significant associations. The observing facet of the FFMQ-SF was linked to memory-related metacognitive efficiency (r = .28, p <.006), while the describing facet correlated with emotion-related metacognitive efficiency (r = .29, p =.004). In contrast, no significant correlations were found between the total mindfulness score and both memory and emotion-related metacognitive efficiency. Conclusions: These findings underscore the psychometric characteristics inherent in the FFMQ-SF and their potential significance for shaping mindfulness-focused interventions. Further research is warranted to clarify the unique contributions of mindfulness regarding its capacity to improve metacognitive efficiency in older adults.