Validation of the Chinese version of the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) and the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between mind-wandering and life satisfaction for adolescents

Mind-wandering is associated with adverse effects on life satisfaction. However, the potential mechanism that might explain the relationship between mind-wandering and life satisfaction is unclear. Furthermore, although attention problems are widespread among adolescents, few studies have investigated mind-wandering on a sample of youth. Thus, in this study, we first sought to validate the Chinese version of the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire and then investigated the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between mind-wandering and life satisfaction. A total of 1331 Chinese adolescents across middle school and high school participated. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results suggested that the Chinese version of the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire is a suitable tool to measure the trait levels of mind-wandering for adolescents. Notably, supporting the study hypotheses, the negative association between mind-wandering and life satisfaction was mediated by self-esteem. Specifically, adolescents with a tendency to undertake mind-wandering reported low levels of self-esteem, which were then associated with decreased life satisfaction. The findings emphasized the role of youth self-esteem in explaining the relationship between mind-wandering and life satisfaction.