Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may have positive physiological and psychological benefits for breast cancer survivors. However, few studies involved a combination of the relevant ...literatures to confirm the effects.
Our study included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs comparing interventions of MBCT and control protocols for alleviation of symptoms among breast cancer survivors. We calculated pooled mean differences (MDs), standardized mean differences (SMDs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using random effects models to estimate summary effect sizes.
Thirteen trials with 20-245 participants were considered in our studies; for the meta-analysis, 11 of these studies were eligible for assessment. The pooled meta-analysis results revealed that at the end of the MBCT intervention, participants' anxiety (SMD, - 0.70; 95% CI, - 1.26 to - 0.13; I
= 69%), pain (SMD, - 0.64; 95% CI, - 0.92 to - 0.37; I
= 0%), and depression (SMD, - 0.65; 95% CI, - 1.14 to - 0.17; I
= 75%) levels significantly decreased, and their mindfulness (MD, 8.83; 95% CI, 3.88 to 13.78; I
= 68%) levels significantly increased.
The MBCT may be associated with improved pain, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. However, the quantitative analysis pointed to an inconclusive result due to moderate to high levels of heterogeneity among indicator of anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. Future work requires more studies to better elucidate the clinical significance of this possible association. The results suggest that MBCT is highly beneficial as an intervention for patients who have received treatment for breast cancer.
This purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of the Mind Space Application on psychological outcomes among Thai-university students with depression.
Thai-university students with depression ...(N = 50) were recruited between November 2021 and January 2022. Participants were randomly assigned to either an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention via the Mind Space Application intervention or a waitlist control group. Stress, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness were assessed at baseline and post-intervention.
Post-intervention, compared to waitlist control group, participants using the Mind Space Application reported large effects in the reduction of stress (d = 1.46, p < .001) and depression (d = 1.88, p < .001), small to moderate effects in reduction of anxiety (d = 0.35, p = .35), but no significant. Also, mindfulness scores were significantly higher (d = 1.90, p < .001) compared to the waitlist control group.
Thai-university students with depression who used the Mind Space Application showed lower stress and depression and higher mindfulness compared to the waitlist group among. Similar applications may be useful as an alternative or combined with other treatments to improve psychological outcomes in other university student populations.
•Approximately 20% of university students had been diagnosed with mental health disorder, only 16.4% of those students received treatments.• There are many barriers to receiving treatment including cost, lack of mental health professionals, and personal obstacles (e.g., stigma, and lack of knowledge)•Online mindfulness-based intervention (MBIs) is one of the techniques used for the prevention and treatment of mental health problems in university students in worldwide, but no prior in Thailand.•This study shows that online MBI via Mind Space application improves psychological outcomes in Thai-university students with depression.
Objective: This article describes results from a randomized clinical trial of a mindfulness-based intervention for parents and children, Mindful Family Stress Reduction, on a behavioral measure of ...attention in youths, the Attention Network Task (ANT). Method: Forty-one parent–child dyads were randomly assigned to either the mindfulness-based intervention condition or a wait-list control. School-age youths completed the ANT before and after the intervention. Results: Results demonstrate significant, medium-size (f2 = −.16) intervention effects to the conflict monitoring subsystem of the ANT such that those in the intervention condition decreased in conflict monitoring more than those in the wait-list control. Youths in the intervention condition also showed improvements in their orienting subsystem scores, compared with controls. Conclusion: Mindfulness-based interventions for youths have potential utility to improve attentional self-regulation, and future research should consider incorporating measures of attention into interventions that use mindfulness training.
One in three cancer patients experience high psychological distress. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing psychological distress in this patient group. However, these ...interventions lack availability and flexibility, which may compromise participation in the intervention for cancer patients experiencing late symptoms like fatigue or pain. Therefore, mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly offered via the internet. However, little is known about the usage of these online mindfulness-based interventions.
The aim of this study was to (1) predict uptake of and adherence to online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (eMBCT) using baseline patient characteristics (demographic, cancer-related, personality, and psychological variables) and (2) examine the relations between adherence and treatment outcomes in eMBCT for cancer patients.
A total of 125 cancer patients were assigned to eMBCT in a parent randomized controlled trial comparing MBCT and eMBCT with treatment as usual in distressed cancer patients. Various usage measures of eMBCT were automatically tracked within the online program. Based on activity of use, participants were classified as nonusers, minimal users, low users, and intended users. Questionnaires were used to assess baseline characteristics (preintervention) and outcomes (pre- and postintervention). To answer the research questions, data were analyzed with t tests, χ
tests, and linear regression models.
Based on weekly activity, participants were classified as nonusers (n=17, 13.6%), who completed no exercises in MBCT; minimal users (n=31, 24.8%), who completed at least one exercise of one to three sessions; low users (n=12, 9.6%), who completed at least one exercise of four to seven sessions; and intended users (n=65, 52.0%), who completed at least one exercise of eight to nine sessions. Nonusers had more fear of cancer recurrence at baseline than users (uptake), and intended users were more conscientious than minimal and low users (adherence). Intended users reported a larger reduction in psychological distress and more improvement of positive mental health (ie, emotional, psychological, and social well-being) after the intervention than other participants.
This study showed that adherence was related to improved patient outcomes. Patients with strong fear of recurrence or low levels of conscientiousness should receive extra attention, as they are less likely to respectively start or complete eMBCT. Future research may focus on the development of flexible and adaptive eMBCT programs to fit individual needs.
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.
Background
Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is effective for relapse prevention in major depressive disorder (MDD). It reduces cognitive reactivity (CR) and rumination, and enhances ...self‐compassion and mindfulness. Although rumination and mindfulness after MBCT are associated with relapse, the association of CR, rumination, self‐compassion, and mindfulness with relapse before initiation of MBCT has never been investigated.
Methods
Data were drawn from two randomized controlled trials, including a total of 282 remitted MDD participants (≥3 depressive episodes) who had been using maintenance antidepressant medication (mADM) for at least 6 months before baseline. All participants were offered MBCT while either their mADM was maintained or discontinued after MBCT. CR, rumination, self‐compassion, and mindfulness were assessed at baseline by self‐rated questionnaires and were used in Cox proportional hazards regression models to investigate their association with relapse.
Results
CR and mindfulness were associated with relapse, independent of residual symptoms, previous depressive episodes, and mADM‐use. Higher CR and lower mindfulness increased the risk of relapse. Self‐compassion was not associated with relapse. For rumination, a significant interaction with mADM‐use was found. Rumination was associated with relapse in patients who discontinued their mADM, while this effect was absent if patients continued mADM.
Conclusions
These results show that CR, rumination, and mindfulness are associated with relapse in remitted MDD‐patients before initiation of MBCT, independent of residual symptoms and previous depressive episodes. This information could improve decisions in treatment planning in remitted individuals with a history of depression.
A number of meta-analyses of mindfulness have been performed, but few distinguished between different facets of mindfulness, despite it being known that facets of mindfulness behave differently in ...different populations; and most studied the outcome of interventions, which tend to involve additional ingredients besides mindfulness. Furthermore, there has recently been some concern regarding possible publication bias in mindfulness research.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship of different facets of mindfulness with various outcomes, taking into account possible moderators, and controlling for publication bias using a method appropriate given the substantial heterogeneity present.
Random effects meta-analysis with a number of robustness checks and estimation of the possible impact of publication bias on the results. Included are all studies that report correlations of outcomes with all five FFMQ facets, in English, French, German, or Spanish.
PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42016041863.
For the designated primary measure (SWLS) estimated correlations were: 0.15 0.07, 0.22 for the Observing facet, 0.31 0.27, 0.36 for Describing, 0.35 0.31, 0.38 for Acting-with-Awareness, 0.30 0.10, 0.47 for Non-judging and 0.28 0.18, 0.37 for Non-reacting. Grouping all desirable outcomes together, Describing has the highest zero-order (though not partial) correlation; Non-judging the highest effect on avoiding undesirable outcomes. Results seem to be reasonably robust even to severe publication bias.
For millenniums, mindfulness was believed to diminish pain by reducing the influence of self-appraisals of noxious sensations. Today, mindfulness meditation is a highly popular and effective pain ...therapy that is believed to engage multiple, nonplacebo-related mechanisms to attenuate pain. Recent evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation-induced pain relief is associated with the engagement of unique cortico-thalamo-cortical nociceptive filtering mechanisms. However, the functional neural connections supporting mindfulness meditation-based analgesia remain unknown. This mechanistically focused clinical trial combined functional magnetic resonance imaging with psychophysical pain testing (49°C stimulation and pain visual analogue scales) to identify the neural connectivity supporting the direct modulation of pain-related behavioral and neural responses by mindfulness meditation. We hypothesized that mindfulness meditation-based pain relief would be reflected by greater decoupling between brain mechanisms supporting appraisal (prefrontal) and nociceptive processing (thalamus). After baseline pain testing, 40 participants were randomized to a well-validated, 4-session mindfulness meditation or book-listening regimen. Functional magnetic resonance imaging and noxious heat (49°C; right calf) were combined during meditation to test study hypotheses. Mindfulness meditation significantly reduced behavioral and neural pain responses when compared to the controls. Preregistered (NCT03414138) whole-brain analyses revealed that mindfulness meditation-induced analgesia was moderated by greater thalamus-precuneus decoupling and ventromedial prefrontal deactivation, respectively, signifying a pain modulatory role across functionally distinct neural mechanisms supporting self-referential processing. Two separate preregistered seed-to-seed analyses found that mindfulness meditation-based pain relief was also associated with weaker contralateral thalamic connectivity with the prefrontal and primary somatosensory cortex, respectively. Thus, we propose that mindfulness meditation is associated with a novel self-referential nociceptive gating mechanism to reduce pain.
•The present study examined the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in Major Depressive Disorders (MDD).•MBCT significantly reduced depressive symptoms, distress and disabilities ...when assessed by BDI-II and SDS.•Changes occurred in depression and disabilities after the intervention indicate that MBCT is reliable in reducing depressive symptoms and disabilities.•Involving clinical psychologist increases the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programs for depressive patients.
The objective of this paper was to examine the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in decreasing depressive symptoms and intellectual disabilities (ID) among individuals with depression in Nigeria. In this randomized controlled trial, 101 participants with depression and ID, aged 18–60 years, who obtained 14 scores in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), scores 4 and above on Shaheen Disability Scale (SDS), were randomly assigned into the interventions (n = 50) and active control group (n = 51). The MBCT group has shown a statistically significant effect on the SDS and BDI-II variables by decreasing depressive symptoms and disabilities following MBCT (p<0.05). The assessment revealed that participants reported an improvement in their experience of depression and ID. The most significant impact was in the reduced levels of ID reported. The results of the evaluation suggest that depressed people with intellectual disabilities benefit from a structured MBCT group intervention and the results are maintained at 2-months follow-up.
Depressive symptoms are quite prevalent in Primary Care (PC) settings. The treatment as usual (TAU) in PC is pharmacotherapy, despite the high relapse rates it produces. Many patients would prefer ...psychotherapy, but specialized services are overloaded. Studies that apply Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) for the treatment of depression have obtained significant improvements. Brief low-intensity approaches delivered from PC could be a promising approach. This study aims to compare a low-intensity mindfulness intervention for the treatment of depression in PC using different intervention formats - a face-to-face MBI delivered in a group and the same MBI individually applied on the Internet - to a control group that will receive PC medical treatment as usual.
A randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted in PC, with about 120 depressed patients allocated (1:1:1) to three groups: "face-to-face MBI + TAU", "Internet-delivered MBI + TAU", and "TAU alone". The MBI programs will be composed of four modules. The primary outcome will be depressive symptoms, measured through the Beck Depression Inventory, assessed at pre- and post-treatment and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Other outcomes will be mindfulness, happiness, affectivity, quality of life, and the use of healthcare services. Intention-to-treat analysis using linear mixed models adjusted for baseline scores and routine sociodemographic analysis that could show baseline differences will be conducted. Per-protocol secondary outcome analyses will also be performed.
This is the first Spanish RCT to apply a low-intensity face-to-face MBI (plus TAU) to treat depression in PC settings compared to TAU (alone). Moreover, this study will also make it possible to evaluate the same MBI program (plus TAU), but Internet-delivered, considering their cost-effectiveness. Positive results from this RCT might have an important impact on mental health settings, helping to decrease the overload of the system and offering treatment alternatives beyond antidepressant medication through high-quality, flexible PC interventions.
Clinical Trials.gov NCT03034343 . Trial Registration date 24 January 2017, retrospectively registered.
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