Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the least successfully treated anxiety disorder. This clinical trial investigated the effects and efficacy of a novel self-compassion intervention in GAD.
A ...total of 75 GAD patients were assigned to a self-compassion intervention group (n = 25), a mindfulness intervention group (n = 25), or a treat-as-usual group (n = 25). Patients in the two active groups received eight intervention sessions in two weeks in addition to usual treatment i.e., pharmacotherapy. Primary outcomes were anxiety and worry, assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included depression, sleep, as well as self-compassion and mindfulness.
Both the self-compassion and mindfulness intervention induced a more rapid decrease in anxiety and depression than pharmacological treatment alone with excellent response and remission rate. Self-compassion intervention also induced a more rapid improvement in sleep quality compared to mindfulness intervention and pharmacological treatment alone. We also presented a mechanism for the self-compassion intervention in which decreased anxiety led to improvement in sleep quality. There was also a higher pleasure, acceptance, and willingness to re-attend in the self-compassion compared to the mindfulness intervention.
This study was single blinded and nonrandomized which may bring risks of bias.
Overall, we provided novel evidence that self-compassion intervention is an alternative psychotherapy for GAD with excellent response and acceptability.
•This was the first trial to evaluate the effects of self-compassion therapy on GAD.•Self-compassion intervention and mindfulness intervention rapidly decreased anxiety.•Self-compassion intervention induced a more rapid improvement in sleep quality.•Anxiety mediated the relationship between self-rated self-compassion and sleep.•Self-compassion group reported higher acceptance and re-treatment willingness.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) include the application of meditation and mind–body practices used to promote mindful awareness in daily life. Operationalizing the construct of mindfulness is ...important in order to determine mechanisms of therapeutic change elicited by mindfulness practice. In addition to existing state and trait measures of mindfulness, process measures are needed to assess the ways in which individuals apply mindfulness in the context of their practice.
This report details three independent studies (qualitative interview, N=8; scale validation, N=134; and replication study, N=180) and the mixed qualitative–quantitative methodology used to develop and validate the Applied Mindfulness Process Scale (AMPS), a 15-item process measure designed to quantify how mindfulness practitioners actively use mindfulness to remediate psychological suffering in their daily lives.
In Study 1, cognitive interviewing yielded a readily comprehensible and accessible scale of 15 items. In Study 2, exploratory factor analysis derived a potential three-factor solution: decentering, positive emotion regulation, and negative emotion regulation. In Study 3, confirmatory factor analysis verified better model fit with the three-factor structure over the one-factor structure.
AMPS functions as a measure to quantify the application of mindfulness and processes of change in the context of MBIs and general mindfulness practice.
•Qualitative inquiry yielded a mindfulness process measure comprised of 15 items.•Exploratory factor analysis and theory yielded three factors for the scale.•Correlations with related psychometric scales confirmed nomological validity.•Confirmatory factor analysis verified good model fit with three-factors.
Objective
Mindfulness‐based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly being encouraged for managing treatment‐related symptoms but much less is known about the extent to which mindfulness is effective in ...relieving the psychosocial distress experienced by men with prostate cancer. A systematic review was conducted to synthesise the literature on MBIs for psychological wellbeing and quality of life improvement in men with prostate cancer.
Methods
Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycArticles and Web of Science were searched up to 7th November 2020. Included studies were assessed for quality using appropriate appraisal tools. Homogeneous study results were pooled in a meta‐analysis while narrative synthesis was used to summarise the findings from heterogeneous results. Effect size was expressed as Cohen's d (95% confidence intervals) and statistical significance (p‐value) was set at 0.05.
Results
Four studies comprising three randomised trials and one non‐randomised study met the inclusion criteria. MBIs for men with prostate cancer showed small to moderate effect for improving psychological outcomes. The pooled result of quality of life and post‐traumatic growth in study participants showed moderate (d = −0.29 −1.29, 0.71, p = 0.57) and large (d = 0.77 −0.33,1.88, p = 0.000) effects, respectively.
Conclusion
MBI is potentially promising for psychological outcomes, quality of life and post‐traumatic growth symptoms improvement in men with prostate cancer but recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence due to limited research and inadequate methodological rigour of published literature. Robust research is needed to draw a reliable conclusion about its sustained effect in men with advanced disease.
Studies have revealed that bullying victimization was a risk factor for symptoms of depression, however, less is known about the underlying processes that may mediate or moderate this relationship. ...This study examined the mediating effect of resilience and moderating effect of mindfulness in the relation between bullying victimization and symptoms of depression. 448 Chinese children in grade 3 to grade 6 were recruited to complete the revised Bully/Victim Questionnaire, the Chinese version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children, the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, as well as the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure. Results showed that resilience partially mediated the relation between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. Besides, both the effect of bullying victimization on depressive symptoms and the mediating effect of resilience were moderated by mindfulness, and both of the two effects were stronger for children with low mindfulness. The present study can contribute to a better understanding of how and when bullying victimization increases the risk of depression. It suggests that early intervention concerning diminishing negative effects of bullying victimization may start with increasing individual resilience and mindfulness.
•Bullying victimization was significantly correlated with children depression.•Resilience partially mediated the effect of bullying victimization on depression.•Mindfulness moderated the effect of bullying victimization on depression.•Mindfulness moderated the mediating effect of resilience in the relation between bullying victimization and depression.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition linked to a wide range of psychological difficulties. While traditional cognitive behavioural therapy has been studied extensively with people with MS, ...much less is known about more recent "third wave" approaches.
A scoping review was carried out by performing a systematic search across MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Academic Search Ultimate, and Cochrane Library up to January 2022.
From an initial return of 8306 citations, 35 studies were included, 20 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs). These showed that four third wave approaches have been investigated with people with MS to date: acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). MBSR and MBCT may be helpful to address a range of psychological difficulties up to three months post-intervention. However, MS-specific adaptations may be required, and more evidence is needed on longer-term effectiveness. Limited evidence is also available for DBT and ACT, but additional research is warranted before any recommendation can be made.
As third wave approaches keep being refined, further more rigorous investigations are needed to implement them to the benefit of people with MS.
Implications for Rehabilitation
Multiple sclerosis is linked to a wide range of psychological difficulties in adults.
Little is currently known on third wave psychotherapies for people with MS.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy may be helpful to address a wide range of difficulties in MS.
Specific adaptations may be needed to deliver suitable therapies to people with MS.
Additional research is warranted to build on preliminary findings for DBT and ACT.
Family caregivers of patients with dementia suffer a high burden of depression and reduced positive emotions. Mentalizing imagery therapy (MIT) provides mindfulness and guided imagery skills training ...to improve balanced mentalizing and emotion regulation.
Our aims were to test the hypotheses that MIT for family caregivers would reduce depression symptoms and improve positive psychological traits more than a support group (SG), and would increase dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) connectivity and reduce subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) connectivity.
Forty-six caregivers participated in a randomized controlled trial comparing a 4-week MIT group (n = 24) versus an SG (n = 22). Resting state neuroimaging was obtained at baseline and post-group in 28 caregivers, and questionnaires completed by all participants. The primary outcome was change in depression; secondary measures included anxiety, mindfulness, self-compassion, and well-being. Brain networks with participation of DLPFC and sgACC were identified. Connectivity strengths of DLPFC and sgACC with respective networks were determined with dual regression. DLPFC connectivity was correlated with mindfulness and depression outcomes.
MIT significantly outperformed SG in improving depression, anxiety, mindfulness, self-compassion, and well-being, with moderate to large effect sizes. Relative to SG, participants in MIT showed significant increases in DLPFC connectivity - exactly replicating pilot study results - but no change in sgACC. DLPFC connectivity change correlated positively with mindfulness and negatively with depression change.
In this trial, MIT was superior to SG for reducing depression and anxiety symptoms and improving positive psychological traits. Neuroimaging results suggested that strengthening DLPFC connectivity with an emotion regulation network might be mechanistically related to MIT effects.
The concept of mindfulness has garnered increasing attention during the last decade. Initially proposed within the scope of information systems (IS) research as a means of creating a deeper knowledge ...foundation for decision making regarding information technology (IT) innovations, it soon became broadly applied throughout IS research. To gain a better understanding of the evolved diversity of this concept, this paper reviews and analyzes extant IS research by means of (a) the investigated IS themes, (b) the purpose of using the concept, (c) the level of application of the concept, and (d) the tendency to focus either on mindfulness, mindlessness, or both. By synthesizing research findings, we derive a high-level IS mindfulness theory. We then propose future research opportunities, such as the explanation of the relationships between different levels of mindfulness, applying mindfulness to bridge the different phases of the software development process, and the identification of guidelines for designing information systems that facilitate mindfulness. As the first review on the application of mindfulness in IS research, we contribute to the overall understanding of mindfulness and address the four abovementioned dimensions from which mindfulness emerges in order to demonstrate that mindfulness provides a meaningful platform for generating knowledge.
Purpose: To examine the impact of a mindfulness intervention on nurse managers in an acute care hospital. Design: A pre/post intervention design with three data collection points: prior to, at the ...conclusion of, and at 3 months following the intervention. Method: A survey to measure the impact of a mindfulness workshops on nurse managers’ perception of professional quality of life, burnout, and perceived wellness. Findings: There were significant changes in the scores on the compassion satisfaction (T-1 mean 3.9, T-2 mean 4.5, p = .002) and burnout subscales (T-1 mean 3.4, T-2 mean 2.8, p = .016) of the Professional Quality of Life scale, and on personal burnout (T-1 mean 4.2, T-2 mean 3.8, p = .023) and work-related burnout (T-1 mean 4.0, T-2 mean 3.5, p = .029) on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scale, following the mindfulness intervention. The 3-month follow-up scores on compassion satisfaction were higher but not statistically significant (p = .810). Scores on the burnout scales, while lower than the preintervention levels, were higher at the 3-month follow-up than immediately following the intervention. Conclusions: These findings suggest that mindfulness practices need to be reinforced. Without continuous reinforcement, it may become a self-care practice moved to the bottom of the list of things to be done among the activities of a busy day.
Objective:
Although mindfulness-based therapy has become a popular treatment, little is known about its efficacy. Therefore, our objective was to conduct an effect size analysis of this popular ...intervention for anxiety and mood symptoms in clinical samples.
Method:
We conducted a literature search using PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches. Our meta-analysis was based on 39 studies totaling 1,140 participants receiving mindfulness-based therapy for a range of conditions, including cancer, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and other psychiatric or medical conditions.
Results:
Effect size estimates suggest that mindfulness-based therapy was moderately effective for improving anxiety (Hedges's
g
= 0.63) and mood symptoms (Hedges's
g
= 0.59) from pre- to posttreatment in the overall sample. In patients with anxiety and mood disorders, this intervention was associated with effect sizes (Hedges's
g
) of 0.97 and 0.95 for improving anxiety and mood symptoms, respectively. These effect sizes were robust, were unrelated to publication year or number of treatment sessions, and were maintained over follow-up.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that mindfulness-based therapy is a promising intervention for treating anxiety and mood problems in clinical populations.
Objectives
The present study is a systematic review which aims to evaluate the current state of the literature on the effectiveness and cultural adaptations of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) ...for Hispanics. MBIs are widely used psychological therapies, yet little is known about their effectiveness or appropriateness with the Hispanic population, the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the USA.
Methods
We identified and reviewed twenty-two studies, across the USA, Spain, and South America. Eight of these studies were coded for meta-analysis. Studies were also rated using methodological rigor and cultural adaptation ratings, developed for this study.
Results
Culturally adapted MBIs are associated with depression symptom improvement, stress reduction, stress management, and chronic illness management. Results from meta-analysis suggest a moderate to large effect of the interventions on psychiatric distress relative to scores in the comparison group.
Conclusions
Findings from this study suggest there is clear evidence that cultural adaptations can improve evidence-based treatment implementation among Hispanics, but more methodologically rigorous studies are needed. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
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