The Moderating Effects of Rumination Facets on the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Distress Reduction

Associations between capacity of cognitive control and sleep quality: a two-wave longitudinal study

This longitudinal study explored the impact of the upper limit of cognitive control on the sleep quality of high school students. We collected data in two waves to examine four main variables: capacity of cognitive control (CCC), trait mindfulness, emotional distress and sleep quality. At the first time point (T1), trait mindfulness and emotional distress were measured by rating scales, and the CCC was evaluated by revised backward masking majority function task. Sleep quality was rated 5 months later (T2). The results indicated that: (1) the CCC was negatively correlated with trait mindfulness, and trait mindfulness was negatively correlated with emotional stress; (2) there was no simple mediation of either trait mindfulness or emotional distress in the relationship between CCC and sleep quality; (3) instead, the CCC was associated with poor sleep quality in a sequential mediation through trait mindfulness and then emotional stress. The research highlights the importance of trait mindfulness and emotional distress for addressing sleep problems in adolescents.

Understanding mechanisms of depression prevention: study protocol of a randomized cross-over trial to investigate mechanisms of mindfulness and positive fantasizing as intervention techniques for reducing perseverative cognition in remitted depressed individuals

BACKGROUND

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, and involves high relapse rates in which persistent negative thinking and rumination (i.e., perseverative cognition [PC]) play an important role. Positive fantasizing and mindfulness are common evidence-based psychological interventions that have been shown to effectively reduce PC and subsequent depressive relapse. How the interventions cause changes in PC over time, is unknown, but likely differ between the two. Whereas fantasizing may change the valence of thought content, mindfulness may operate through disengaging from automatic thought patterns. Comparing mechanisms of both interventions in a clinical sample and a non-clinical sample can give insight into the effectivity of interventions for different individuals. The current study aims to 1) test whether momentary psychological and psychophysiological indices of PC are differentially affected by positive fantasizing versus mindfulness-based interventions, 2) test whether the mechanisms of change by which fantasizing and mindfulness affect PC differ between remitted MDD versus never-depressed (ND) individuals, and 3) explore potential moderators of the main effects of the two interventions (i.e., what works for whom).

METHODS

In this cross-over trial of fantasizing versus mindfulness interventions, we will include 50 remitted MDD and 50 ND individuals. Before the start of the measurements, participants complete several individual characteristics. Daily-life diary measures of thoughts and feelings (using an experience sampling method), behavioural measures of spontaneous thoughts (using the Sustained Attention to Response Task), actigraphy, physiological measures (impedance cardiography, electrocardiography, and electroencephalogram), and measures of depressive mood (self-report questionnaires) are performed during the week before (pre-) the interventions and the week during (peri-) the interventions. After a wash-out of at least one month, pre- and peri-intervention measures for the second intervention are repeated.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study integrating self-reports, behavioural-, and physiological measures capturing dynamics at multiple time scales to examine the differential mechanisms of change in PC by psychological interventions in individuals remitted from multiple MDD episodes and ND individuals. Unravelling how therapeutic techniques affect PC in remitted individuals might generate insights that allows development of personalised targeted relapse prevention interventions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06145984, November 16, 2023.

Relationship between World Assumptions and Post-Traumatic Growth among Polish Cancer Patients: Moderating Effect of Rumination

BACKGROUND

Although post-traumatic growth is believed to be the result of complex interplays between various factors, cognitive variables appear to play a special role in these interactions. Yet, research on this topic is scant. Therefore, the first purpose of this study was to verify whether there is a direct relationship between world assumptions and post-traumatic growth among Polish cancer patients. As the effect of psychological change in post-traumatic growth may be affected by basic beliefs about the world and oneself, the second goal was to assess whether this association is moderated by rumination.

METHODS

The study included 215 Polish cancer patients. The Post-traumatic Growth and Depreciation Inventory-Expanded version-(intrusive and deliberate rumination), the World Assumption Scale, and the Event-related Rumination Inventory were applied.

RESULTS

Positive, albeit weak, correlations were found between the dimensions of world assumptions and post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic growth correlated negatively with intrusive rumination and positively with deliberate rumination. The outcomes show that the level of post-traumatic growth resulting from world assumptions is significantly different at various levels of intrusive and deliberate rumination.

CONCLUSION

Lower/medium intrusive rumination seems to strengthen the relationship between benevolence of the world/worthiness of the self and post-traumatic growth, and higher deliberate rumination tends to reinforce the relationship between meaningfulness and post-traumatic growth.

Immediate effects of meditation in college students: A pilot study examining the role of baseline attention performance and trait mindfulness

OBJECTIVE

Determine feasibility of a procedure to identify relationships between preexisting traits and immediate mindfulness meditation (MM) responses in novice college students.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-four novice college students participated between September 2016 and April 2017.

METHODS

We measured trait mindfulness, attention and executive function performance, and immediate MM-related changes in self-reported state mindfulness and state anxiety following a 13-min MM.

RESULTS

The procedure appeared to be feasible and acceptable to college students. Preliminary findings included increases in state mindfulness and decreases in state anxiety, which appeared to vary by level of trait mindfulness. Better attention performance correlated with greater increases in state mindfulness of body.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study demonstrated feasibility of investigating the relationship between baseline traits and college students' immediate MM responses. Using these methods, future studies can provide a unique examination of MM effects stratified by validated facets of state mindfulness of body and mind.

Direct effects of cognitive therapy skill acquisition on cognitive therapy skill use, idiosyncratic dysfunctional beliefs and emotions in distressed individuals: An experimental study

Experimental studies that manipulate treatment procedures to investigate their direct effects on treatment processes and outcomes are necessary to find out the effective elements and improve the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression. The present study randomized mildly to severely depressed participants into a procedure focused on cognitive therapy skill acquisition (CTSA; n = 27) or a control procedure focused on being exposed to theories of automatic thinking (n = 25) and investigated the direct effects on cognitive therapy (CT) skill use, credibility of idiosyncratic dysfunctional beliefs and strength of emotions. After the procedure, participants were exposed to a sad mood induction and given an assignment to test their CT skills. Participants who received the CTSA procedure used more CT skills compared to participants that received the control procedure, but there were no differences between conditions in the decrease of the credibility of idiosyncratic dysfunctional beliefs and strength of emotions. However, in participants with mild levels of depression, those who underwent the CTSA procedure showed larger decrease in the credibility of their most malleable belief (i.e. mostly automatic negative thoughts) compared to those who received the control procedure, but the significance of these findings disappeared when controlling for differences in ratings of the procedures. Future experimental studies should focus on the effects of CT skill training in the long term, the dose of the procedure and individual patient differences to find out under what circumstances the use of CT skills can lead to a reduction in dysfunctional thinking and subsequent symptoms of depression.