Distinguishing spontaneous from deliberate mind wandering in adolescents: The role of attentional control and depressive symptoms:

Research on individual differences in mind wandering (MW) in healthy adults has supported the separation of spontaneous and deliberate MW given their different association with a number of psychological traits. This study aimed to further test this distinction by investigating the associations of the two types of MW with attentional control and depressive symptomatology in adolescents. Data were collected on 439 9–10th graders, who completed measures of spontaneous and deliberate MW, distractibility, difficulty in attentional shifting, and depressive symptomatology. A multivariate three‐level multiple regression revealed that distractibility was a significant predictor of only spontaneous MW, whereas difficulties in attentional shifting and depressive symptoms were significant predictors of both types of MW. However, the last two variables were stronger predictors for spontaneous than for deliberate MW. These findings provide support for the distinction, beyond their theoretical and empirical overlap, between the two types of MW also in adolescents and suggest the independent contribution of cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms.