Mindfulness最新文献

Objectives

This study aimed to address the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) using mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) delivered via virtual reality (VR). MBIs can improve emotion regulation and executive functioning, but engagement can be challenging, especially for children with other health conditions and trauma.

Method

Virtual reality goggles with a head-mounted display, head tracking, and handheld controls were used. Measures included heart rate variability (HRV), the State Mindfulness Scale, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2. The procedure involved a baseline assessment of state mindfulness, a 5-min sitting baseline HRV measurement, VR orientation, exploration of the VR landscape, a mindfulness body scan, a second HRV measurement during the body scan, and completing a post-VR questionnaire.

Results

No significant improvement in state mindfulness was found as measured by the State Mindfulness Scale. However, a significant improvement with moderate effect size was seen pre-to-post-intervention on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (p = 0.007, d = − 0.69). We also explored the impact of age, sex, and diagnosis on the intervention and found significant improvements in state mindfulness across subgroups. HRV did not show a significant change pre-to-post-intervention.

Conclusions

Our study highlights the potential for MBI-VR to improve mindfulness in Aboriginal children and young people in OOHC who have experienced abuse and trauma. Brief mindfulness sessions were effective at enhancing state mindfulness as measured by the MAAS; the older participants and those with mental health concerns benefitted the most. Further research with more diverse samples is needed to validate the findings and examine potential interactions between demographic and clinical factors.

Preregistration

This study is not preregistered.

Nonattachment is a key positive element of several psychotherapeutic approaches, including mindfulness-based interventions. However, it has been defined in the academic literature largely as a construct of negation, whereby one should not become attached to objects, people, or experiences. This approach may foster resistance to nonattachment in general through confusion associated with what it means along with uncertainty in how to practise it as there are currently no evidence-based courses or clear guidelines. Furthermore, there is currently no empirical exploration of interventions that are specifically nonattachment-based in terms of their value in applied settings.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an affirmative, action-based definition of nonattachment in order to improve understanding and implementation. A further objective is to provide examples of exercises within existing therapeutic modalities through which nonattachment may already be cultivated and to use the example of post-traumatic stress (PTS) as a focus area to discuss the potential value and implications of using nonattachment in a clinical context. Four psychotherapeutic approaches currently applying nonattachment-based concepts including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Compassion-Focussed Therapy, and Mindfulness are critically assessed for ways in which they cultivate nonattachment, using symptoms of PTS as an example.

Based on existing therapeutic and contemplative practices that embody nonattachment principles, as an affirmative definition we propose that nonattachment involves the intentional practices of acceptance, letting go, deep presence, opening to a universally interconnected self-schema, and perceptual distancing from stimuli and response. An affirmative understanding of what nonattachment is, along with a targeted approach to its cultivation, may facilitate a clearer pathway toward the predictive and intervention outcome value of nonattachment in applied settings.

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility assessed by reach and dose of an organizational-level workplace-adapted mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). Secondarily, potential changes in mental health and organizational outcomes were evaluated.

Method

Using a quasi-experimental design without a control group, the study included four small- and medium-sized private companies. A three-step MBI was delivered live online via Zoom. Feasibility was assessed using data on reach (number of participants) and dose (number of sessions attended). Data on mental health and organizational outcomes were collected at baseline and 3- and 12-month follow-up and analyzed using mixed-effects linear regression for continuous variables, and mixed-effects logistic regression for dichotomous variables.

Results

In total, 278 (75.54%) employees and managers participated in an introductory session, and 169 (45.92%) signed up for a workplace-adapted 10-week MBSR course, while 3 (75.00%) companies participated in an implementation workshop. Among MBSR-participants, the median dosage was 9/10 sessions in three companies, and 8/10 in one company. Only small statistically non-significant changes were seen in mental health outcomes, such as tendencies to decreased perceived stress and increased well-being at 3-month follow-up. However, these tendencies were not sustained at 12-month follow-up. Yet, a positive impact was seen on respondents’ ability to decenter, and thus observe one’s thoughts and feelings, at both 3- and 12-month follow-up. Organizational impact at 3-month follow-up varied across outcome measures, with a statistically significant reduced likelihood of occasionally experiencing negative acts. However, at 12-month follow-up, this reduction was no longer statistically significant, and measures of social capital and psychological safety had generally decreased.

Conclusions

This workplace MBI is deemed feasible. However, the potential impacts on mental health and organizational outcomes remain unclear.

Preregistration

This study is registered at ISRCTN Registry (ISRCTN93567471).

Objectives

Previous studies have examined simplified unidirectional associations between mindfulness, pain, and its functional interference, overlooking individual variations and complex interactions. The present study aimed to address this limitation by investigating the reciprocal lagged effects of mindfulness meditation and endometriosis-related pain while evaluating the impact of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (bMBI) on pain interference with activities (PI).

Method

Exploratory analyses were conducted of a pilot randomized controlled trial (n = 63). A random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to assess the reciprocal influence between the minutes of meditation and pain intensity. Effects of the bMBI on PI were evaluated using a latent growth curve model. Analyses were performed over the initial, middle, and last 5 days of the bMBI.

Results

Minutes of meditation practice were positively associated with pain intensity during the initial period. Increased meditation practice above the average in the middle intervention days led women to perceive more pain, which produced a reduction in meditation practice. This pattern was reversed in the last intervention period, where the increase in the average meditation practice reduced pain. Also, the increase in pain motivated an increase in meditation in one cross-lag. However, the bMBI was unable to improve PI.

Conclusions

Women suffering from endometriosis-related pain show a bMBI trajectory involving predominant increased pain perception and associated meditation and activities avoidance in the early learning stage. Mindfulness skills became more effective in dealing with endometriosis pain and related meditation avoidance from the fourth week. The absence of improvement in PI indicates the necessity of alternative strategies to achieve this outcome.

Preregistration

Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials U1111-1233–4802.

Objectives

Informal carers are an integral part of any health care system. However, provision of informal care is associated with caregiver burden and decreased wellbeing. Mindfulness programs can reduce caregiving burden and improve wellbeing among informal carers, but they face challenges when participating in face-to-face programs. Studies have explored the effects of online delivery of mindfulness programs for informal carers. However, the enablers and barriers for participation are not well understood. This review aimed to synthesise the evidence and provide a comprehensive understanding of the enablers and barriers to participation in online mindfulness programs among this population.

Methods

A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute mixed-methods systematic review approach and using eight databases. All empirical studies published in English and involving informal carers aged over 18 years were included. Critical appraisal was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Thematic analysis was conducted to integrate the data.

Results

Nine studies were included: three quantitative, two qualitative, and four mixed methods. Three subthemes for enablers and barriers were developed. Three subthemes for enablers included self-motivation, positive experience of mindfulness, and program structure and delivery. Three subthemes for barriers included lack of self-motivation, external factors preventing participation, and program structure and delivery. The enablers and barriers were interrelated within and across the identified themes.

Conclusions

A comprehensive synthesis of current evidence was provided for consideration when developing online mindfulness-based interventions for informal carers. Further investigation is recommended, particularly in relation to the enablers and barriers to engagement by informal carers.

Preregistration

The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023409311).

Objectives

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce chronic stress, but their therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. MBIs may train monitor (i.e., attention) and acceptance skills that have been impaired by chronic stress exposure, and the interaction between these skills might lead to chronic stress reduction. In the present study, we aimed at directly replicating one of the few existing studies that tested these hypotheses. Moreover, we explored the hypothesis that working memory capacity is negatively associated with chronic stress and that the association between working memory capacity and chronic stress is moderated by acceptance. To increase the generalisability of the results of this line of research, we obtained our sample from the Japanese population.

Method

Eighty-five adults participated in the study and completed self-reported chronic stress and mindful acceptance questionnaires, and attention and working memory behavioural tasks.

Results

The results revealed that chronic stress was significantly associated with lower acceptance, but not with monitor or working memory capacity. The interaction between acceptance and monitor or working memory measures was not significantly associated with chronic stress levels.

Conclusions

Our results almost exactly replicated the findings of the original study, provide limited support to the hypotheses, and suggest that acceptance, but not monitoring, may be a key mechanism of the therapeutic effects of MBIs. Future independent direct replication studies of this line of research or randomised-controlled trials testing other theory-driven research hypotheses are encouraged.

Preregistration

This study was pre-registered at AsPredicted.org (https://aspredicted.org/DS9_4CZ).

Objectives

Undergraduate and graduate students have reported rising rates of anxiety that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly related to heightened intolerance of uncertainty. The present preregistered pilot study investigated whether psychoeducational wellness programs based on behavioral activation or mindfulness were associated with greater improvement in anxiety relative to a survey-only control condition over 8 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moderating or mediating effects of intolerance of uncertainty were tested.

Method

University students (n = 298) were recruited in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic and randomly assigned to one of three groups: one of two psychoeducational wellness programs (based on mindfulness or behavioral activation, respectively) or a survey-only control. Symptoms were assessed longitudinally over 8 weeks. Analyses tested for group differences in anxiety over time, as well as the moderating effect of intolerance of uncertainty at baseline and group differences in changes in intolerance of uncertainty over time.

Results

Results showed that anxiety significantly improved across all groups (p < 0.01, η_p² = 0.18). Participants in the mindfulness psychoeducational group reported a significantly greater decline in anxiety over the 8 weeks than participants in other (survey-only control or behavioral activation-based) groups (p-values ≤ 0.04, η_p² ≥ 0.01). Higher engagement (frequency) in either mindfulness or behavioral activation was associated with reduced anxiety (p < 0.01, η_p² = 0.25). Intolerance of uncertainty neither moderated nor mediated these effects.

Conclusions

Results suggest that scalable, psychoeducation-based programming may reduce anxiety among students, representing a promising option to augment other campus resources.

Preregistration

Analyses were preregistered on Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WX25V) following the completion of data collection; no data visualization or analysis took place prior to the analysis preregistration.

Objectives

Mindfulness meditation has been claimed to decrease aspects of egoic functioning (EF). However, empirical evidence is largely lacking or is suggesting the reverse. Therefore, the aim was to examine the associations between mindfulness, mindfulness interventions, egoic functioning, and emotional well-being using different designs.

Method

We conducted three studies: (i) a cross-sectional study in the general population (n = 796), (ii) an experiment in a student population (n = 84) where we manipulated mindfulness meditation, and (iii) an intervention in self-enrolled individuals from the general population receiving a standard 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program (n = 165).

Results

In the cross-sectional study, most mindfulness facets showed positive (mainly with self-enhancement) or nonsignificant associations with facets of EF. In the experiment, participants in the mindfulness meditation (vs. control) condition exhibited lower self-enhancement of positive characteristics. In the intervention, some aspects of EF decreased (e.g. demanding control), whereas some increased (e.g. refusal to comply) after MBSR, and these changes correlated meaningfully with changes in self-reported mindfulness and well-being.

Conclusions

The results suggest that aspects of EF are differentially associated with aspects of self-reported mindfulness and differentially respond to a brief mindfulness manipulation and an 8-week MBSR intervention. We formulated two dimensions on which various relevant self-concept constructs may be positioned: competition-based versus compassion-based.

Preregistration

The studies are not preregistered.

Objectives

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been shown to decrease general feelings of distress. It is not known to what extent such beneficial effects are associated with attenuation of physiological responses to challenging psychological situations. The aim of the present study was to examine potential associations between general decreases in subjective distress and changes in acute cardiac and cortical responses during recall of a recent stressful episode between pre- and post-MBSR.

Method

Fifty-eight MBSR participants (77.6% female, mean age 43.8 years, SD = 13.1) took part in a laboratory examination before and after MBSR. Measurements of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were performed during the whole protocol including the stress recall task.

Results

The MBSR group showed overall decreases in general negative affect and an increase in heart rate variability from pre- to post-intervention. Out of six physiological outcomes (heart rate, heart rate variability, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma power at Fz), only a decreased response of gamma power during the stress task was significant. The subjective and physiological changes were unrelated.

Conclusions

The present results suggest that the favourable effects of MBSR on general stress reduction may not be clearly reflected in cortical electrical wave activity or vagal cardiac response during recall of a recent stressful episode. The few changes found in cardiac and cortical activity may be due to either effects independent of general subjective feelings or independent of the intervention altogether.

Preregistration

The study is not preregistered.

In this conceptual contribution, we argue that experimental investigations of phenomena in the cognitive sciences and consciousness research may benefit from a thorough integration of data acquired from the first-person perspective. We present a line of research from our lab applying this approach to the Libet task on voluntary action. In this well-known experimental paradigm, participants perform a movement at a moment of their own choice. Previous research has shown that this voluntary decision to perform the action is preceded by a specific pattern in the electroencephalogram, the so-called readiness potential. This finding that the decision is preceded (and presumably determined) by an action-related brain processes puts the neuroscientific account at odds with our subjective intuition and challenges the notion of free will. This discrepancy exemplifies the gap between neuro-cognitive models of the mind and the accounts of our conscious experience. The aim of our theoretical proposal is to enrich the study of volitional action by integrating reports from the first-person perspective with the Libet paradigm to develop a more coherent account. This provides an example of implementing the research program of neurophenomenology developed by Francisco Varela to overcome the gap between scientific accounts of the mind and subjective experience. Specifically, we show how this can be achieved by interweaving three methodological approaches: (i) adapting common neuro-cognitive paradigms (i.e., the Libet task); (ii) employing refined first-person methods such as the micro-phenomenological interview; and (iii) collaborating with experienced meditators as research participants. Our contribution demonstrates how the neurophenomenological framework can be used to shed new light on long-standing and fundamental debates in consciousness research. We show that this approach not only addresses questions of intellectual curiosity but also has concrete ethical implications for the practice of science itself, self-determination, and the accountability of the conscious subject. On the basis of our approach, meditation can be seen as a method for enhancing self-regulation and self-determination, which allows for more deliberate decisions and thus more ethical behavior.