Mindfulness最新文献

Background

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of significant transition for women, with changes in maternal physical and mental health. The formation of a relationship between a mother and her baby is vital and has been recognised as laying the foundation for later child development. There is considerable evidence that this early relationship is influenced by a woman’s well-being during pregnancy and in the early post-partum period. Mindfulness-based programs have previously revealed positive outcomes, primarily in reducing maternal stress, anxiety, and depression. However, there remains a need for considering the influence of mindfulness on the mother-baby relationship and embodiment during pregnancy and the first trimester post-partum. This study aimed to conduct an in-depth exploration of pregnant women’s experiences of a nine-session prenatal mindfulness relationship-based (PMRB) program to support its feasibility.

Methods

Information about pregnant women’s (n = 13) experiences of the PMRB program was collected through online interviews during the sessions, including their birth stories. Responses to an open-ended question about how the program had supported them during pregnancy, labour/birth, and the first post-partum trimester were summarised using thematic analysis.

Results

Sixteen themes were identified and organised in four categories: (1) expectations and motivations (healthy pregnancy and mental health, non-medicalised birth, contribution to the field); (2) experiences of the PMRB program (positive experiences, shared experience, engagement with mindfulness practices, pain, stress, and anxiety relief); (3) changes attributed to the PMRB program (a new way of responding to stressors, trusting the process, connecting to body, breath, and unborn baby, awareness of the unborn baby as a sentient being); (4) changes attributed to the mindfulness practice (increased mindfulness/self-awareness, stop look listen, embracing the moment, acceptance).

Conclusions

The evaluation suggested the PMRB program may help women cope with pain and emotional challenges and be more connected to their bodies and infant. The program may also help women become more aware of their unborn baby as a sentient being and the influence of their health and mental well-being on the baby development and health. Furthermore, the program may facilitate the mother-baby relationship during pregnancy, post-partum, and breastfeeding.

Preregistration

The trial has been successfully registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) following ethical approval from Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee (BUHREC—Application AS03534, approved 20 December 2022) and allocated the Australian clinical trial

Objectives

Mindfulness training produces behavioral and neuronal enhancements for executive and emotional control processes that strengthen with experience. We aimed to examine how a single 30-min session of mindfulness impacts behavioral and electrophysiological outcomes (event-related potentials; ERPs) of inhibitory control and perception of affectively negative words.

Method

Using a mixed within-subject design, 62 university participants provided behavioral and electrophysiological data, and were randomly assigned to two groups: audio-guided mindfulness meditation or relaxation technique of their choice. Participants completed two blocks of computerized tasks (two measuring inhibitory function: Go/NoGo, Simon task; and one assessing affective perception: word rating task), as well as provided self-reported state-induced mindfulness levels before and after the intervention.

Results

Regardless of group, Go/NoGo performance accuracy was at ceiling (≥ 91%). All participants showed enhanced post-intervention NoGo-N2 amplitudes indicating an increased need for conflict monitoring processes. No significant between-group effects emerged for the behavioral Simon Effect or for incongruent P3 ERPs. Behavioral ratings of negative and positive words were unimpacted, whereas neutral words were rated more positively by all participants post-intervention. Initial ERP analyses indicated faster post-intervention LPP components across valence for the mindfulness group; however, results did not remain significant after accounting for multiple comparisons.

Conclusions

Our report contributes to the research surrounding how brief (30-min) sessions of mindfulness practice impact one’s ability to inhibit themselves as well as perception of affective words. Future studies should include fewer or shorter tasks to maximize the transient effects of mindfulness practice.

Objectives

Stress is highly prevalent in college students. Self-compassion, the tendency to respond in a caring manner to one’s own suffering or failures, reduces psychological distress and promotes mental health. Self-compassion may also influence physiological manifestations of stress; however, research is limited. Among undergraduate students over the course of an academic semester, we explored the associations of self-compassion with stress-related psychological variables including measures of affect, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. We also examined daily patterns of salivary cortisol over four days: diurnal slope, mean, and day-to-day cortisol rhythm stability.

Method

This sample of undergraduate students from introductory psychology courses in a large United States Midwestern university was predominantly non-Hispanic White (71.2%) and female (86.4%). All data were collected prior to final exams. After providing baseline psychosocial data, participants engaged in a 2-week mindfulness intervention: They were provided an iPod loaded with audio tracks based on the well-known Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention, but received no face-to-face instruction. Fifty-nine participants provided self-report demographic and medical data and completed the saliva sampling regimen over the first 4 days of the intervention. Diurnal salivary cortisol was assessed immediately after waking and again at bedtime over four consecutive days.

Results

Hierarchical multiple regressions replicated previous findings showing that self-compassion is associated with higher positive and lower negative affect, lower perceived stress, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Regression models controlling for oral contraception and tobacco use revealed a positive association of self-compassion with healthy cortisol profiles marked by steeper diurnal cortisol slopes and increased regularity of the inter-daily cortisol slope.

Conclusions

These results confirm that self-compassion may be protective against the psychological and physiological manifestations of stress in college. Kind and compassionate responses to one’s own struggles may shield students from the adverse effects of stress. The potential mechanisms underlying these associations are worthy of future research.

Preregistration

This study is not preregistered.

Objectives

Body dissatisfaction is a prevalent concern among women in the United States. Self-compassion writing interventions have been found to reduce body dissatisfaction. However, limited research has examined how writing interventions on compassion for one’s body compares to writing interventions on compassion for others’ bodies, and no previous studies examined the effects of those interventions on fat phobia. This study’s main aim was to examine the impact of compassion writing interventions on body dissatisfaction, self-compassion, and fat phobia in women.

Methods

Participants included 198 women (age M = 38.97, SD = 11.72; range 18–65) from the general U.S. population who were randomized to one of three groups: self-compassion (wrote about being compassionate toward one’s body concerns), other-compassion (wrote about being compassionate toward another woman’s body concerns), and control (wrote about their tasks/activities in the previous two days). Participants completed questionnaires on their state body dissatisfaction, state self-compassion, and fat phobia pre- and post-intervention.

Results

State body dissatisfaction significantly decreased, and state self-compassion significantly increased in the self-compassion group. State self-compassion significantly increased in the other-compassion group. Although we found a significant time effect across groups for fat phobia, fat phobia scores only decreased in the self-compassion and other-compassion groups.

Conclusions

The self-compassion writing intervention had the most impact on body-related variables and may be valuable for women between 18 and 65 years old.

Preregistration

This study was not preregistered.

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale (SOCS–O) in a large sample of Spanish undergraduate nursing students.

Method

After a forward–backward translation process, we conducted a cross-sectional study among nursing students in their first year of training at two Spanish universities. The mean age of the participants (n = 683) was 22.74 years old, and 83.46% were women. Together with compassion for others, mindfulness was also assessed.

Results

Descriptive results revealed high scores across all dimensions of the SOCS–O. The data supported a 3-factor structure with correlated factors (χ²(167) = 363.47, p < 0.01; CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.05, 90% CI = 0.04, 0.05; SRMR = 0.04). Reliability estimates, measured by Cronbach’s alpha, were excellent, ranging from 0.87 to 0.93. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed. Men exhibited significantly lower levels in all compassion dimensions: Recognizing suffering (mean difference = − 0.40), Understanding the universality of suffering (mean difference = − 0.33), and Behavioral compassion (mean difference = − 0.57) (all p < 0.01). The structural equation model showed a clear relationship between mindfulness and compassion (χ²(581) = 1345.79, p < 0.01; CFI = 0.92; TLI = 0.92; RMSEA = 0.04, 90% CI = 0.04, 0.04; SRMR = 0.06).

Conclusions

The findings showed that the Spanish version of the SOCS–O has robust psychometric properties. The SOCS–O is a reliable tool for measuring compassion with three subscales and helps advance understanding of compassion among student nurses. The positive relationship between mindfulness and compassion suggests that incorporating mindfulness training into nursing curricula could enhance the delivery of compassionate care.

Preregistration

This study was not preregistered.

Objectives

It has been assumed that decentering is one mechanism underlying the health-promoting benefits of mindfulness. This study aimed to investigate the potential mediating role of decentering in the relationship of mindfulness with psychological problems. Moreover, this study examined whether age and clinical status moderated this relationship.

Method

This study systematically reviewed prior studies published until May 2023. Data were extracted from survey results in observational studies and from baseline scores in intervention studies. The technique of meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) was applied to analyze the aggregated data. Moderator analyses examined the role of individual characteristics in the relations between (1) mindfulness and decentering, (2) decentering and psychological problems, and (3) mindfulness and psychological problems.

Results

The final meta-analysis included 110 effect sizes extracted from 57 studies, with a total number of 18,515 participants. Overall, the MASEM results showed that mindfulness had a positive, large direct effect on decentering (β = 0.42, 95% CI[0.38, 0.47]), and a negative, small-to-medium direct effect on psychological problems (β = − 0.25, 95% CI[− 0.31, − 0.20]). Decentering also had a negative, modest direct effect on psychological problems (β = − 0.24, 95% CI[− 0.29, − 0.19]). Regarding the indirect effect, decentering had a significant, small effect in the association between mindfulness and psychological problems (β = − 0.10, 95% CI[− 0.13, − 0.08]). Moderator analyses suggested that these effects were consistent across age and clinical status.

Conclusions

The current results provide preliminary evidence that the correlation between mindfulness and decentering carries over to psychological problems. Understanding this correlation is an essential step towards mapping out the underlying psychological processes moving from mindfulness to psychological outcomes. The cultivation of decentering skills should be embedded in mindfulness-based training to confer benefits on psychological problems. Moreover, secular programs that do not include cultural or spiritual aspects of mindfulness need to expand their current knowledge of what decentering involves and what impedes effective decentering.

Preregistration

This study is not preregistered.

Objectives

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduces recurrence and current depressive symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). To understand how and for whom MBCT works, a person-centered approach focusing on mindfulness profiles can be useful. Four mindfulness profiles, each associated differently with mental health outcomes, have previously been identified. So far, no studies have examined whether profiles change after MBCT and whether these changes are related to treatment outcome.

Method

Latent transition analysis (LTA) was performed on pre- and post-MBCT subscale scores of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in patients with current or remitted MDD (n=500). LTA allowed the assessment of individual changes in mindfulness profile after MBCT and the relation between profile change and corresponding changes in measures of mental health, including depressive symptoms, overall functional impairment, worry, and self-compassion.

Results

LTA re-established the four profiles previously identified cross-sectionally: “Very low mindfulness” (VLM), “Non-judgmentally aware” (NJA), “Judgmentally observing” (JO), and “High mindfulness” (HM). For 71 out of 168 patients with VLM profiles changed to NJA and for another 30 to HM. For 49 out of the 129 patients with NJA and for 37 out of 141 patients with JO profiles changed to HM. All 61 patients starting with HM kept HM. In general, change was related to greater than average improvement in mental health, while no change in profile was related to less than average improvement in mental health (except for HM).

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that changes in mindfulness profile after MBCT was differentially related to clinical change. These results from a person-centered approach offer new avenues to further elucidate the working mechanism of MBCT and improve its outcome.

Preregistration

This study was not preregistered.

Meta-analyses of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in schools consistently show small, positive effects, but the field remains dominated by studies with low methodological rigour. Recent large randomised controlled trials in adolescents demonstrate poor traction in this age group together with some adverse effects, creating a crossroads for their future. In their recent commentary on the null effects of the MYRIAD trial (Kuyken et al., 2022), Strohmaier and Bailey (2023) postulated that making mindfulness practice available within the school day may increase the dosage and benefits of MBIs for adolescents, and called for funders to direct efforts at developing and testing this approach. We agree that identifying ways to increase dose beyond weekly classroom lessons is important, but explore whether this suggestion is practical or developmentally appropriate for secondary school settings. Our commentary broadens to group together other large and moderately large RCTs that have also shown disappointing results in adolescents, and presents seven barriers that together may be compounding the lack of effect in this age group. We offer alternative suggestions for future school-based research and delivery of MBIs.

Objectives

The Compassion Scale (CS) is a model-based scale to measure compassion for others, comprising four subcomponents: kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, and sensitivity to the suffering of others. This research examined the psychometric properties of the Compassion Scale in Japan (CS-J).

Method

This research (n = 1742) examined the factor structure of the CS-J, the relations of the CS-J to compassion-related constructs (Study 1), intra- and interpersonal well-being (Study 2), and dispositions primarily concerned with the welfare of others (Study 3), and the test-retest reliability over a month (Study 4).

Results

Exploratory structural equation modeling identified that a bifactor structure best represented the CS-J. Internal reliability indicators warranted the use of total scores (internal consistency, ω = 0.94) and subscales (ω = 0.82 to 0.92). The test-retest reliability was adequate for the total scores (r = 0.73) and acceptable for the subscales (r = 0.45 to 0.68). The CS-J showed positive correlations with self-compassion, compassionate engagement and action, mindfulness, empathetic concerns, perspective-taking, altruism, compassionate goals, self-image goals, interdependent happiness, positive affect, life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and social desirability with small to large effect sizes. The CS-J was negatively associated with negative affect and psychological stress responses with small effect sizes.

Conclusions

These results provided evidence for the validity of the CS-J. Our results in Japan indicated that compassion for others represents a balanced system of increased compassionate responding and decreased uncompassionate responding toward others’ suffering.

Preregistration

Our studies were preregistered at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/jha6q and https://osf.io/b8f5v).

Objectives

this scoping review aimed to explore the diversity of existing nature-based mindfulness (NBM) interventions. The specific objectives of this review were to (1) describe the practices and methods that are used in NBM interventions, and to (2) determine the environmental conditions that are typically associated with NBM interventions.

Method

Thirty peer-reviewed scientific studies were identified via a systematic PRISMA search protocol and then thematically analysed and categorically organised.

Results

In relation to the first research objective, a typological scheme for classifying NBM interventions was proposed in which four main categorizations of NBM interventions were identified, including (1) conventional practices combined with nature, (2) activity-based practices using nature, (3) NBM therapy practices, and (4) emerging practices. These themes demonstrate the diversity of existing NBM interventions and provide a more integrated understanding of the applicability of these interventions across different clinical and non-clinical contexts. In relation to the second research objective, existing NBM interventions were found to be conducted in (1) naturally occurring, (2) curated natural, and (3) simulated natural environments. Within these categories, a diverse range of restorative environments were identified as suitable contexts for NBM interventions, with forest-based interventions being the most commonly used environment.

Conclusions

Overall, this study contributes to a more integrated understanding of the practices, methods, and environmental conditions typical of existing NBM interventions, proposes a classification scheme for NBM interventions, and identifies a number of new developments within the field as well as promising avenues for future research and practice.

Preregistration

This study has not been preregistered.