The current study attempted a rigorous test of the construct validity of a widely used self-report measure of dispositional mindfulness, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), within the ...context of an active controlled randomized trial (n = 130). The trial included three arms: mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), an active control condition that did not include instruction in mindfulness meditation (Health Enhancement Program HEP), and a waitlist control condition. Partial evidence for the convergent validity of the FFMQ was shown in correlations at baseline between FFMQ facets and measures of psychological symptoms and psychological well-being. In addition, facets of the FFMQ were shown to increase over the course of an MBSR intervention relative to a waitlist control condition. However, the FFMQ failed to show discriminant validity. Specifically, facets of the FFMQ were shown to increase over the course of the HEP intervention relative to the waitlist control condition. MBSR and HEP, in contrast, did not differ in changes in FFMQ score over time. Implications of these findings for the measurement and theory of mindfulness and MBSR are discussed.
Out-of-class mindfulness meditation practice is a health behavior that is considered to be a crucial ingredient in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), yet participant adherence to practice ...recommendations is often inconsistent. Furthermore, MBIs may enhance factors that lead to greater adherence to medical regimens in other contexts. This study examined baseline factors previously found to relate to adherence to medical regimen, MBI-related changes in these baseline factors, and treatment-related factors as predictors of meditation adherence in an 8-week MBI.
Baseline traits (personality, depressive symptoms, and executive function) were entered into regression models (n = 96) to predict intervention and postintervention out-of-class meditation adherence. Trait changes and treatment-related factors were entered into models to predict postintervention meditation adherence.
Baseline conscientiousness (β = 0.33, p = .002), openness (β = 0.23, p = .019), and depressive symptoms (β = 0.19, p = .042) predicted intervention meditation adherence, whereas conscientiousness (β = 0.21, p = .044) and depressive symptoms (β = 0.22, p = .020) predicted postintervention meditation adherence. Although all trait variables except for agreeableness changed significantly pre-to-post intervention, these changes did not predict postintervention meditation adherence. Retreat attendance (β = 0.38, p = .029) and instructor/group-related therapeutic factors collectively predicted postintervention meditation adherence (R2 = 0.21, p = .019).
The identified baseline trait factors could be used to increase adherence in these interventions as a method of increasing their effectiveness. An emphasis on the MBI retreat and social factors during the intervention may be important for participant out-of-class practice postintervention.Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.govNCT01831362.
Objective: Over the last 10 years, there has been a dramatic increase in published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of brief mindfulness training (from single-session inductions to multisession ...interventions lasting up to 2 weeks), with some preliminary indications that these training programs may improve mental health outcomes, such as negative affectivity. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether brief mindfulness training reliably reduces negative affectivity. Method: PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Mindfulness Research Monthly Newsletter were systematically searched for brief mindfulness intervention RCTs assessing negative affectivity outcomes (e.g., depression, rumination, anxiety, stress). Sixty-five RCTs, including 5,489 participants predominantly without experience in meditation (64.64% female, mean age = 24.62), qualified for the meta-analytic review. Results: The meta-analysis revealed a small but significant effect of brief mindfulness training on reducing negative affectivity compared to control programs (g = .21, p < .001). The overall effect size was significantly moderated by participant characteristics: community samples (g = .41, p < .001) produced larger training effects compared to student samples (g = .14, p = .001; Qbetween p = .03). No significant effect size differences were found between clinical and nonclinical samples. However, when accounting for publication bias, the overall effect size of brief mindfulness training programs on negative affectivity was significantly reduced (g = .04). Conclusions: Brief mindfulness training programs are increasingly popular approaches for reducing negative affectivity. This meta-analysis indicates that brief mindfulness training modestly reduces negative affectivity. Quantitative analyses indicated the presence of publication bias (i.e., unpublished null effect studies), highlighting the need to continue rigorous evaluation of brief mindfulness interventions.
What is the public health significance of this article?
This meta-analysis shows that brief mindfulness interventions lasting up to 2 weeks are potentially effective for reducing negative affectivity among people with no prior meditation experience. The presence of publication bias in this literature indicates that more published studies are needed to evaluate whether this effect is reliable and robust.
There is a growing interest to use mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for occupational health promotion. As most evidence for the beneficial effects comes from convenience samples in the ...social/education/health sector, it is still an open question if MBIs are effective in other contexts, or for whom MBIs are more effective. In addition, self-selection and sample characteristics may have biased previous findings. Theoretically and practically, it is important to know whether MBIs are also effective for nonselective samples outside the social and health sector, especially in agentic and male-oriented cultures. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of a MBI on physiological and psychological criteria in a nonselective sample of police officers. Moreover, this study examines whether effectiveness depends on participants' personality (neuroticism, openness, and conscientiousness) and on perceived social norms toward MBIs. Using a pre-post intervention design, N = 267 police officers were randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving a 6-week intervention and to a control group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a positive effect on heart rate variability and a stronger reduction of psychological strain, health complaints, and negative affect, as well as more improvement of mindfulness and self-care in the intervention group in comparison with the control group. Additionally, participants higher in neuroticism and openness benefitted more, and the effectiveness was stronger for those who perceived a favorable social norm toward MBIs. Our findings provide evidence that participants with male-oriented occupations may also benefit from a MBI. The importance of individual differences and the social context is discussed.
The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006) and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003) are widely used measures of mindfulness and ...self-compassion in mindfulness-based intervention research. The psychometric properties of the FFMQ and the SCS need to be independently replicated in community samples and relevant clinical samples to support their use. Our primary aim was to establish the factor structures of the FFMQ and SCS in individuals with recurrent depression in remission, since Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was developed as a treatment for preventing depressive relapse. In order to determine the consistency across populations, we examined the factor structures of the FFMQ and SCS in 3 samples: (1) a convenience sample of adults, (2) a sample of adults who practice meditation, and (3) a sample of adults who suffer from recurrent depression and were recruited to take part in a trial of MBCT. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) showed that a 4-factor hierarchical model of the FFMQ best fits the community sample and the clinical sample but that a 5-factor hierarchical model of the FFMQ best fits the meditator sample. CFA did not endorse the SCS 6-factor hierarchical structure in any of the 3 samples. Clinicians and researchers should be aware of the psychometric properties of the FFMQ to measure mindfulness when comparing meditators and nonmeditators. Further research is needed to develop a more psychometrically robust measure of self-compassion.
Background
Recent studies suggest that mindfulness may be an effective component for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. Mindfulness involves practice in volitional shifting of attention ...from “mind wandering” to present‐moment attention to sensations, and cultivating acceptance. We examined potential neural correlates of mindfulness training using a novel group therapy (mindfulness‐based exposure therapy (MBET)) in combat veterans with PTSD deployed to Afghanistan (OEF) and/or Iraq (OIF).
Methods
Twenty‐three male OEF/OIF combat veterans with PTSD were treated with a mindfulness‐based intervention (N = 14) or an active control group therapy (present‐centered group therapy (PCGT), N = 9). Pre‐post therapy functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, 3 T) examined resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC) in default mode network (DMN) using posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) seeds, and salience network (SN) with anatomical amygdala seeds. PTSD symptoms were assessed at pre‐ and posttherapy with Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS).
Results
Patients treated with MBET had reduced PTSD symptoms (effect size d = 0.92) but effect was not significantly different from PCGT (d = 0.46). Increased DMN rsFC (PCC seed) with dorsolateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) regions and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) regions associated with executive control was seen following MBET. A group × time interaction found MBET showed increased connectivity with DLPFC and dorsal ACC following therapy; PCC–DLPFC connectivity was correlated with improvement in PTSD avoidant and hyperarousal symptoms.
Conclusions
Increased connectivity between DMN and executive control regions following mindfulness training could underlie increased capacity for volitional shifting of attention. The increased PCC–DLPFC rsFC following MBET was related to PTSD symptom improvement, pointing to a potential therapeutic mechanism of mindfulness‐based therapies.
Mindfulness interventions (MIs) emphasize living in the present moment without being judgmental of one's feelings and sensations. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MIs, including both ...mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed interventions, in reducing overall obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) severity and comorbid depression at post-treatment and in the long-term. The potential contribution of methodological variables moderating the effectiveness of MIs was examined. Five databases (Medline, PsychInfo, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials) were searched until May 2022. The pooled standardized mean difference was calculated using random effect models. Twenty-six studies with 1,281 participants were included. We found moderate to large reductions in overall OCRDs severity in favor of MIs at post-treatment (SMD ranging between −0.62 and −1.52, 95% CI: −2.02 to −0.22). MIs were associated with small reductions of depression in people with OCD (SMD = −0.30 and −0.52, 95% CI: −0.68 to −0.09) and obsessions (SMD = −0.32, 95% CI: −0.65 to −0.01) at post-treatment but these effects were not sustained at follow-up. Meta-regression analyses showed that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) appeared to be effective in treating OCD and/or depressive symptoms in these patients. Lower income countries contributed larger effect sizes. Our findings provide first evidence of the effectiveness of MIs in reducing OCRDs severity which require further exploration from high quality RCT studies with embedded qualitative research.
Public Health Significance Statement
Exposure-based psychological interventions are the gold standard for treating obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. However, dropout rates remain one of their biggest limitations. This meta-analytic review showed that mindfulness interventions, which can be both acceptable and have low attrition rates, can be effective in treating these disorders.
IntroductionThe beneficial effects of yoga have been researched for decades, and in some countries it is also used in health care to maintain physical and mental health. Its effectiveness in the ...treatment of stress and anxiety, as well as in achieving a relaxed state, is supported by numerous studies.ObjectivesIn the present research, our aim was to investigate the direct and subclinical effects of yoga, where the subjects did at least 10 minutes of yoga a day for two weeks. Our hypotheses are that the participants experience relaxation, mindfulness and positive emotions significantly (1) more often and (2) more intensely as a result of yoga.MethodsWe included 25 average population, healthy people between the ages of 18 and 30, who exercised at least 10 minutes of yoga a day for two weeks with the help of a mobile app. We used the Smith Relaxation States Inventory (SRSI3) and its disposition-measuring version (SRSI3d), which examine 19 relaxation states (R-states) presumably related to relaxation, divided into 4 categories: basic relaxation, mindfulness, positive energy and transcendence. During the statistical analyses, the values taken at the beginning of the research, before practice, were compared with the values taken directly after the last practice using the Wilcoxon test. Bonferroni correction was used to correct the first-order error that increases when testing several hypotheses simultaneously.ResultsImmediately after practicing yoga, the participants had significantly higher basic relaxation (M0=2.74, M1=4.24, p<0.0001), awareness (M0=2.71, M1=2.89, p<0.0001) and positive energy (M0=3.88, M1= 4.81, p<0.0001) and in the long term they experienced significantly more relaxation (M0=3.12, M1=3.94, p<0.0001), awareness (M0=3.41, M1=4.40, p<.0001), positive energy (M0= 4.39, M1=5.14, p<0.001) and transcendence (M0=3.23, M1=4.05, p=0.001).ConclusionsBased on our results, yoga can be an effective additional tool in maintaining and improving health, but also in improving the condition and quality of life of mental and somatic patients.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Within the past few decades, there has been a surge of interest in the investigation of mindfulness as a psychological construct and as a form of clinical intervention. This article reviews the ...empirical literature on the effects of mindfulness on psychological health. We begin with a discussion of the construct of mindfulness, differences between Buddhist and Western psychological conceptualizations of mindfulness, and how mindfulness has been integrated into Western medicine and psychology, before reviewing three areas of empirical research: cross-sectional, correlational research on the associations between mindfulness and various indicators of psychological health; intervention research on the effects of mindfulness-oriented interventions on psychological health; and laboratory-based, experimental research on the immediate effects of mindfulness inductions on emotional and behavioral functioning. We conclude that mindfulness brings about various positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation. The review ends with a discussion on mechanisms of change of mindfulness interventions and suggested directions for future research.
► Mindfulness refers to attending to experience on purpose and non-judgmentally. ► Trait mindfulness and meditation practice correlate with psychological well-being. ► Mindfulness intervention programs reduce psychological symptoms and distress. ► Mindfulness instructions reduce emotional reactivity in laboratory studies. ► Mechanisms of mindfulness' effects need to be a focus of future studies.
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