Mindfulness‐based interventions (MBI) have been shown to be effective in increasing empathy in health professionals. Yet, more research is needed to analyse the specific influence of mindfulness ...exercises on biological variables involved in empathy, such as the biological system of oxytocin activity. In this study, we analyse the effects of a brief mindfulness session on positive and negative affect, state anxiety and salivary oxytocin (sOXT) in psychology students (N = 68). In the experimental group (n = 42), a mindfulness session was performed that included different guided meditation exercises. In the control group (n = 26), an emotion recognition exercise was carried out, along with a series of creative activities. Results showed that the mindfulness session was effective, because there was a significant reduction in negative affect (d = −.56, p < .001) and state anxiety (d = −.54, p = .007) in the experimental group. Likewise, there was an increase in sOXT (d = .99, p < .001) in this group, compared with the control group. Guided mindfulness meditation practice could be useful to reach an emotional and biological state that facilitates empathy. In this regard, the increase in sOXT after the mindfulness session adds further evidence about the biological mechanisms underlying the benefits of MBI on empathy.
Objectives
In the field of psychotherapy, verbal creativity has been suggested as an important aspect in psychotherapists’ training. In the present study, the effects of a mindfulness and ...compassion‐based intervention (MCBI) on verbal creativity are analysed in students of clinical and health psychology (N = 90).
Design
Students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 37), in which an MCBI was applied, and a waiting list group (n = 26) with no intervention. We also assessed a non‐randomized active control group (n = 27), in which students received training in basic psychotherapy skills.
Methods
Verbal creativity (fluency, flexibility, and originality) was evaluated in a pre‐, post‐, and follow‐up assessment.
Results
Results indicated a significant increase in fluency (p = .001, d = .64), flexibility (p = .017, d = .67), and originality (p = .004, d = .72) in the experimental group, relative to the waiting list group, in the post‐assessment. Fluency (p = .010, d = .64) and flexibility (p = .033, d = .62) were also found to be higher in the follow‐up assessment. In addition, results indicated a significant increase in flexibility (p = .034, d = .74) in the experimental group, relative to the active control group, in the follow‐up assessment.
Conclusions
Introducing MCBI in the university education of psychotherapists seems to be a useful strategy to improve their verbal creativity, which could positively influence their ability to explore and appropriately respond to their patients’ needs.
Practitioner points
Mindfulness and compassion‐based interventions (MCBIs) could be a useful strategy to improve verbal creativity in the university education of psychotherapists.
After the MCBI, students of clinical and health psychology increased the number of ideas they produced when facing a specific situation, as well as their variety and originality.
Several pilot studies have provided evidence that mindfulness-based intervention is beneficial during pregnancy, yet its effects in mothers during the early parenting period are unknown. The purpose ...of the present pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention in breast-feeding mothers. We developed and tested an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention aimed at improving maternal self-efficacy, mindfulness, self-compassion, satisfaction with life, and subjective happiness, and at reducing psychological distress. A randomized controlled, between-groups design was used with treatment and control groups (
n
= 26) and pretest and posttest measures. ANCOVA results indicated that, compared to the control group, mothers in the treatment group scored significantly higher on maternal self-efficacy, some dimensions of mindfulness (observing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity), and self-compassion (self-kindness, mindfulness, over-identification, and total self-compassion). In addition, mothers who received the treatment exhibited significantly less anxiety, stress, and psychological distress. The results supported previous research findings about the benefits of mindfulness-based intervention in women from the perinatal and postpartum periods through the early parenting period. Additional research is needed to validate our findings in non-breast-feeding mothers and to examine the intervention’s indirect benefits in terms of family relationships and child development.
Objectives
Mindfulness and compassion-based interventions (MCBI) have shown to be effective in increasing self-reported empathy in healthcare professionals. However, no studies described a beneficial ...effect of MCBI on biological variables related to empathy. In this study, we analyze the effects of an MCBI on the basal levels of salivary oxytocin (sOXT), empathic accuracy, and self-reported empathy in students of clinical and health psychology (
N
= 90).
Methods
In the experimental group (
n
= 37), an MCBI was applied. In the active control group (
n
= 27), students participated in basic psychotherapeutic skills training. In the waiting list group (
n
= 26), students did not participate in any intervention. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed, including pre- and post-intervention evaluations and the follow-up evaluation.
Results
Results indicate a significant interaction between the groups on the basal levels of sOXT (
p
= .045, η
p
2
= .05) and perspective taking (
p
= .040, η
p
2
= .06), so that the experimental group showed increased sOXT at the end of the MCBI (
p
= .009,
d
= .66) and in perspective taking on the follow-up evaluation (
p
= .001,
d
= .52).
Conclusions
Introducing MCBI in the university education of clinical and health psychologists can help to improve their empathy skills, which would ultimately have a beneficial influence on the health of the users of their services. Furthermore, sOXT could be used as a valid biomarker in the study of the effects of MCBI on biological variables associated with empathy and affective bonds in different settings.
Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated to be effective in reducing stress and health complaints in clinical populations. However, to our knowledge, biological health markers have not been ...used in studies of the effectiveness of mindfulness programs in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study aimed to assess the effects of a mindfulness intervention on mood disturbances and health complaints in this population compared with non-caregivers. The design of the study was quasi-experimental, with repeated measures. Self-reported health, cortisol awakening response (CAR), and afternoon cortisol levels before and after a mindfulness session were assessed at the beginning, middle, and end of the intervention. There was a significant reduction in mood disturbances and afternoon cortisol levels during the sessions in all participants, with the reductions being more pronounced in caregivers. Moreover, all participants showed fewer depressive and somatic symptoms at the end of the program, with an improvement in their self-perceived general health. Nevertheless, the CAR levels had not changed significantly after the program. Overall, these results indicate that mindfulness group therapy could be effective for reducing health complaints and reinforce the validity of these programs for caregivers.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been consolidated in healthcare settings as a highly useful therapeutic approach. Numerous studies have demonstrated their positive influence on physical ...and psychological well-being. In contrast, the scientific evidence concerning the potential beneficial effects of mindfulness on biological variables such as health indicators is still scarce. Therefore, in this study, we sought to analyse the influence of a mindfulness and self-compassion-based intervention on levels of salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in order to validate its use in field studies. A secondary objective of the study was to confirm the associated decline in salivary cortisol (Csal) levels and improvements in self-reported health and mood already described in the general population. For this purpose, we conducted a longitudinal design, collecting saliva samples and self-reports before and immediately after the first and the last session of the intervention. Results show an improvement in health and self-reported mood, along with an increase in the sIgA levels of participants and a reduction in Csal levels. These results reinforce existing evidence of the beneficial effects of mindfulness and self-compassion on health, evaluated from a holistic perspective, considering both biological and self-reported variables. Moreover, as already done with other biological indicators such as Csal, sIgA could be used in clinical settings to evaluate the effectiveness of MBIs.
En este trabajo se analizan las principales fuentes de estrés académico de los estudiantes de nueva incorporación a la universidad y se presenta la validación de un instrumento de evaluación de este ...constructo psicológico. Los resultados constatan que el estrés académico constituye un fenómeno generalizado en el año de acceso a la universidad y que los niveles superiores se presentan respecto a la exposición de trabajos, la sobrecarga académica, la falta de tiempo y la realización de exámenes. El cuestionario evalúa cuatro dimensiones complementarias (obligaciones académicas, expediente y perspectivas de futuro, dificultades interpersonales y expresión de ideas propias), muestra una relación significativa de reducida magnitud con el rendimiento académico y son las mujeres quienes presentan valores superiores en todas las dimensiones evaluadas. Los resultados se discuten en términos de su repercusión para el diseño de sistemas de acción tutorial y de prestación de servicios de atención y asesoramiento psicológico a los estudiantes de nuevo acceso a los estudios universitarios.
Objectives: This study aimed to show the effectiveness of mindfulness and self-compassion therapy in improving coping ability and adaptation to stressful situations in the elderly.Methods: Forty-five ...elderly non-institutionalized adults were randomized to either treatment or a treatment waiting list. A pre- and post-treatment assessment was performed, consisting of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), and Coping Strategies Questionnaire. The program was developed over 10 sessions lasting 120 minutes each.Results: Analysis of variance for repeated measures showed significant differences in the time-group interaction for the treatment's effectiveness in improving resilience, positive reappraisal and avoidance strategies, and decreasing anxiety, problem-solving coping, negative self-focus, overt emotional expression and religion.Conclusions: The mindfulness and self-compassion program is useful for improving resilience and coping strategies and reducing anxiety and stress levels in the elderly.
In this article the importance of empathy in the psychotherapeutic field is analyzed, and also the need of promoting its development in clinical and health psychologist. It is exposed the main ...contributions about the study of empathy, introducing the concept of biases in the inference, a set of errors that could negatively influence empathy. Moreover, the relation between mindfulness, empathy, and compassion is suggested –understanding the last one as the vertebral axis of the psychological interventions-, and then focusing on the advantages of including mindfulness and compassion-based interventions (MCBI) in the academic training of clinical and health psychologists, especially in regard to improving empathy. En este artículo, se analiza la importancia de la empatía en el ámbito de la psicoterapia, y la necesidad de fomentar esta habilidad en los psicólogos clínicos y sanitarios. Se exponen las aportaciones fundamentales sobre el estudio de la empatía, y se introduce el concepto de sesgos en la inferencia, una serie de errores que pueden influir de forma negativa en su establecimiento. Además, se sugiere la relación existente entre mindfulness, empatía y compasión –entendiendo esta última como el eje vertebrador que subyace a las actuaciones psicológicas-, y atendiendo a las ventajas de incluir las intervenciones basadas en mindfulness y compasión (IBMC) en la formación universitaria de los psicólogos clínicos y sanitaristas, especialmente en lo que se refiere a la mejora de su empatía.
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