Assessment of mindfulness by self-report

Beyond coincidence: An investigation of the interplay between synchronicity awareness and the mindful state

The mindful state is commonly characterized by an elevated awareness of the present moment. An intriguing and rather widespread phenomenon that requires the attention to the present moment is Synchronicity Awareness. This phenomenon refers to the sense of a profound psychological connection between an internal event (e.g., thought, image, or dream) and external events. Whereas mindfulness and its underlying cognitive processes have been well documented, synchronicity awareness, despite its deep roots, has been scarcely examined empirically, and little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underlying it. The present study aimed to further validate the recently developed Synchronicity Awareness and Meaning Detection (SAMD) scale and explore its potential relationship with various mindfulness measures. To this end, 572 participants engaged in an online survey, incorporating the SAMD, Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire, Mindful Awareness and Attention Scale, Langer's Mindfulness Scale, and Encoding Style Questionnaire. The results revealed that synchronicity awareness, meaning detection, and mindfulness are distinct constructs. A significant association between synchronicity and core facets of mindfulness was observed, indicating that participants with higher SAMD scores were more sensitive to inner sensations, more novelty-seeking, and engaged in their actions. Additionally, SAMD scores were linked to internal encoding style, suggesting a top-down processing of experiences. However, synchronicity was not associated with outwards-directed mindful awareness, suggesting that it might involve an intrinsic attentional process, influenced by internal cues. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Are Mindfulness and Mind-Wandering Opposite Constructs? It Depends on How Mindfulness is Conceptualised

This study investigated if trait mindfulness and its components, mindful attention, acceptance, and non-judging correlate negatively with self-reported and indirect markers of mind-wandering. The 552 participants of the study completed an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of trait mindfulness and mind-wandering scales. They also completed the computer-based Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), an objective measure of mind-wandering. The total mindfulness score and acceptance and non-judging subscale scores were strongly negatively correlated with both self-reported trait mind-wandering (TMW) and SART indices of mind-wandering. In contrast, attention was significantly positively correlated with both. These findings suggest that trait mindfulness conceptualised as a multi-component construct, but not a uni-component one, is probably an opposing construct to trait mind-wandering. Furthermore, mindfulness and its components, acceptance and non-judging, are associated with a reduction in the more common form of SART errors. However, only the acceptance component made a unique contribution to the variance in TMW and SART performance. Therefore, it is advisable for researchers to specify whether they investigated mindfulness as a uni-component or multi-component construct. Furthermore, it would be beneficial if future research investigates the relationship of mindfulness and its components with mind-wandering further by also incorporating a measure of state mindfulness.

Systematic Review of Dispositional Mindfulness and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology: A Targeted Examination of Avoidance

High rates of nonresponse to evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have fueled the search for improved intervention. Evidence suggests that improvements in dispositional mindfulness (i.e., tendency to attend to the present with nonjudgment and nonreactivity) may help reduce PTSD symptoms. While some research suggests that transdiagnostic mindfulness-based interventions particularly target avoidance symptoms, the association between dispositional mindfulness and avoidance has yet to be systematically examined. To address this gap, we examined peer-reviewed studies that reported quantitative associations between avoidance and dispositional mindfulness among trauma-exposed adults, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2009 guidelines. Sixteen studies were identified for final review from PsycINFO and PubMed databases. Results suggest that mindfulness has a weak relationship with effortful avoidance. This weak relationship may be obscured in studies where effortful avoidance is measured among other symptoms (e.g., anhedonia). Mindfulness appeared to have stronger associations with symptoms of hyperarousal and negative alterations in cognition and mood. An important clinical implication is that high effortful avoidance may manifest among patients who report strong mindfulness skills. It may be helpful for clinicians to carefully assess how mindfulness is being used to cope.

Mindful eating and orthorexia nervosa: How do they interact?

The present study explored the associations between orthorexia nervosa, social media addiction, emotion regulation difficulties, perfectionism and BMI with four facets of mindful eating, using path analysis to assess these relationships. A sample of 551 students (127 males, 424 females, mean age = 22.6 years) completed an online self-report questionnaire evaluating these constructs. Analyses revealed that mindful eating contributed to emotion dysregulation and orthorexia nervosa and was related to social media addiction. Significant indirect paths were identified from mindful eating, social media addiction and adaptive perfectionism through emotion dysregulation to maladaptive perfectionism. While no direct paths were observed between mindful eating and perfectionism, a direct path was found between adaptive perfectionism and orthorexia nervosa. These findings suggest a more nuanced understanding of eating behaviours is required. Individuals susceptible to eating disorders should approach mindful eating with caution and seek support from healthcare providers to ensure it is used in a way that supports overall wellbeing. Future research should aim to replicate and further clarify these associations to reveal the long-term effects of mindful eating.

In search for evolutionary roots of a mindful cognition: A Darwinian view on sustained intentional awareness

The attention system underwent important evolutionary changes and specializations in the human genus. In fact, our outstanding social and technological complexity strictly depends on our attentional ability, which is sustained, intentional, and conscious. Attention, intention, and awareness are key features for what can be defined a mindful cognition, and we may wonder whether a specific combination of these cognitive traits may be the result of a natural selective process, or else an accidental by-product of mental complexity. In this article, basic concepts in evolutionary anthropology are reviewed, to consider whether positive, neutral, or negative selective forces might have influenced the evolution of a mindful cognitive ability. At present, all these alternatives are potentially supported by different kinds of evidence. Hybrid hypotheses, considering stabilizing mechanisms or distinct social roles and intra-specific variation, are also likely. An evolutionary approach to the cognitive abilities involved in attention and awareness can reveal potentialities, limitations, and drawbacks of our individual and collective natural behaviors, especially when dealing with the evolution of the human consciousness.

Distinct Mindfulness States Produce Dissociable Effects on Neural Markers of Emotion Processing: Evidence From the Late Positive Potential

Background

Mindfulness has long been theorized to benefit emotion regulation, but despite the ubiquity of the claim, there is little empirical evidence demonstrating how mindfulness modulates the neurophysiology of emotion processing. The current study aimed to fill this gap in knowledge by leveraging a novel research approach capable of discretizing mindfulness into distinct states of open monitoring (OM) and focused attention (FA) to distinguish their influence on multimodal subjective and objective measures of emotion processing.

Methods

Utilizing a fully within-participant picture viewing state induction protocol (N = 30), we compared the effects of OM and FA, rigorously contrasted against an active control, on the visually evoked late positive potential (LPP), a neural index of motivated attention. Bayesian mixed modeling was used to distinguish OM versus FA effects on the early and late sustained LPP while evaluating the influence of subjective arousal ratings as a within-participant moderator of the state inductions.

Results

When negative picture trials were retrospectively rated as more subjectively arousing, the OM induction reduced the late sustained LPP response, whereas the FA induction enhanced the LPP.

Conclusions

Acute manipulation of OM and FA states may reduce and enhance motivated attention to aversive stimuli during conditions of high subjective arousal, respectively. Functional distinctions between different mindfulness states on emotion processing may be most dissociable after accounting for within-participant variability in how stimuli are appraised. These results support the future potential of the state induction protocol for parsing the neural affective mechanisms that underlie mindfulness training programs and interventions.

Consistency between definitions and measurement of mindfulness in eating and physical activity behavior: a scoping review

Mindfulness (i.e., relating to one's internal and external awareness with non-evaluative attitudes) is increasingly applied as a determinant and strategy to change dietary and physical activity behaviours in the general adult population. However, current applications of mindfulness lack methodological standardisation, thereby limiting its comparison. The aim of this study was to examine currently applied conceptual definitions of mindfulness regarding their elements, their measurement, and the consistency between the defined elements and their measurement.Using scoping review methodology, we searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases for peer-reviewed literature. Definitions were analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach. Consistency between defined elements and measurement was scored on an index. Across 57 records, less than half defined mindfulness as specific to a disposition, state, or action. One third described mindfulness as an attentional process without attitudinal elements. An additional 30% mentioned non-judgment as the singular attitudinal element underlying mindfulness. Empirical articles (n = 45) predominantly assessed dispositional mindfulness as a single score and frequently lacked measurement of defined attitudinal elements or measured elements that were not defined. To advance the systematic investigation of mindfulness, we present a conceptual model describing the measurement selection based on explicitly defined attentional and attitudinal mindfulness elements.

Psychological capital mediates the mindfulness-creativity link: the perspective of positive psychology

The positive mindfulness-creativity link has been widely documented; however, its underlying psychological mechanisms remain less understood. From the perspective of positive psychology, this study examined the mediating effect of psychological capital (PsyCap) on the effect of dispositional mindfulness on creative functioning. A total of 894 Chinese secondary school students in Hong Kong (50.8% female; M age = 15.5 years) completed the study. A cross-sectional design was used, in which context PsyCap and dispositional mindfulness were assessed by the Chinese version of the revised Compound PsyCap Scale (CPC-12R) and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), respectively. Moreover, by adopting the multiple-measurement approach to creativity, three commonly used creativity tests (i.e., the Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test/WKCT, the Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production/TCT-DP, and the Creative Problem-Solving Test/CPST) were applied to capture three aspects of creativity (i.e., divergent thinking, creative combination, and creative problem solving). The results suggest that (1) PsyCap partially but significantly mediated the mindfulness-creativity link for all three aspects of creative functioning, and (2) PsyCap demonstrated the strongest effect size in mediating the mindfulness-creativity link for creative problem solving, followed by creative combination and then divergent thinking. These results, on the one hand, support the positive psychology perspective by confirming a positive psychological resource mechanism regarding the relationship between mindfulness and creativity. On the other hand, the results regarding the varied sizes of the mediation effect further enrich the discourse on this perspective by showing that the mediation mechanism may function to different degrees depending on which aspect of creativity is under consideration. These findings illuminate the positive functioning of mindfulness, psychological resources/capital and creativity.

Acceptability, engagement, and preliminary efficacy of a college human physiology course with integrated mindfulness practice to support student wellbeing

Objective

To evaluate the acceptability of and engagement with an undergraduate human physiology course embedded with mindfulness practice. To assess its preliminary efficacy on student mindfulness and wellbeing.

Methods

Students (N = 36, 17% freshman, 33% sophomore, 22% junior, and 28% senior) answered online surveys at course completion. Primary outcomes were course ratings, assignment and assessment completion rates, minutes, types of mindfulness practice, changes in trait mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, MAAS), and self-reported wellbeing outcomes. We ran Chi-square goodness of fit tests and paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to decide if the outcomes differed significantly post-class. We tested the dose-response relation between mindfulness practice time and trait mindfulness and whether the out-of-class practice time was consistent across the weeks with generalized linear mixed-effect models.

Results

All participants reported finding the course enjoyable and that they would recommend it to their friends. They practiced for an average of 66 (SD = 27) min per week in the class and 112 (SD = 59) min on their own. The most common out-of-class practices were mindful movements, sitting meditation, and breathing. Per self-reports, the course increased student understanding of specific mindfulness practices and appreciation for their body. It improved wellbeing and trait mindfulness (MAAS mean within-person change = 1.2, SD = 0.8, p < 0.00001). We found no does-response relation between practice time and trait mindfulness.

Conclusions

This pilot study supports that incorporating mindfulness practice into college-level courses may promote student wellbeing and such approaches warrant further investigation.

The effect of Tai Chi/Qigong on depression and anxiety symptoms in adults with Cancer: A systematic review and meta-regression

OBJECTIVE

We expand on prior systematic reviews of Tai chi/Qigong (TCQ) practice on depression or anxiety symptoms in adults with cancer to estimate the mean effect of TCQ on depression and anxiety in randomized controlled trials. Additionally, we perform moderator analysis to examine whether effects vary based on patient features, TCQ stimuli properties, or characteristics of research design.

METHODS

Guided by PRISMA guidelines, we located articles published before August 31, 2023 using a combination of electronic database search and a complementary manual search through reference lists of articles and published reviews. Two separate multilevel meta-analyses with random-effects model were employed to estimate the overall effect of TCQ on depression and anxiety respectively. Further, multilevel meta-regression analysis was utilized to examine moderating effects based on moderators derived from patient features, TCQ stimuli properties, or characteristics associated with research design. Meta-analyses were performed in R4.0.0 and certainty of evidence with GRADEpro software.

RESULTS

The TCQ intervention yielded a standardized mean effect size of 0.29 (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.40) for anxiety, indicating homogeneity among the included studies. Conversely, for depression, the standardized mean effect size was 0.35 (95% CI, 0.14 to 0.55), signifying heterogeneity: reductions were larger when the trial primary outcome, predominantly function-related outcomes, changed significantly between the TCQ and control group.

CONCLUSIONS

TCQ practice exhibits small-to-moderate efficacy in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms among cancer patients and survivors. Moreover, patients with depressive symptoms for whom TCQ intervention coupled with improvements in function-related outcomes manifested greater antidepressant effect.

The model of the brain as a complex system: Interactions of physical, neural and mental states with neurocognitive functions

The isolated approaching of physical, neural and mental states and the binary classification into stable traits and fluctuating states previously lead to a limited understanding concerning underlying processes and possibilities to explain, measure and regulate neural and mental performance along with the interaction of mental states and neurocognitive traits. In this article these states are integrated by i) differentiating the model of the brain as a complex, self-organizing system, ii) showing possibilities to measure this model, iii) offering a classification of mental states and iv) presenting a holistic operationalization of state regulations and trait trainings to enhance neural and mental high-performance on a macro- and micro scale. This model integrates current findings from the theory of constructed emotions, the theory of thousand brains and complex systems theory and yields several testable hypotheses to provide an integrated reference frame for future research and applied target points to regulate and enhance performance.

Mindfully missing myself: Induced mindfulness causes alienation among poor self-regulators

Mindfulness is a popular technique that helps people to get closer to their self. However, recent findings indicate that mindfulness may not benefit everybody. In the present research, we hypothesized that mindfulness promotes alienation from the self among individuals with low abilities to self-regulate affect (state-oriented individuals) but not among individuals with high abilities to self-regulate affect (action-oriented individuals). In two studies with participants who were mostly naïve to mindfulness practices (70% indicated no experience; N1 = 126, 42 men, 84 women, 0 diverse, aged 17-86 years, Mage = 31.87; N2 = 108, 30 men, 75 women, 3 diverse, aged 17-69 years, Mage = 28.00), we tested a mindfulness group (five-minute mindfulness exercise) against a control group (five-minute text reading). We operationalized alienation as lower consistency in repeated preference judgments and a lower tendency to adopt intrinsic over extrinsic goal recommendations. Results showed that, among state-oriented participants, mindfulness led to significantly lower consistency of preference judgments (Study 1) and lower adoption of intrinsic over extrinsic goals (Study 2) compared to text reading. The alienating effect was absent among action-oriented participants. Thus, mindfulness practice may alienate psychologically vulnerable people from their self and hamper access to preferences and intrinsic goals. We discuss our findings within Personality-Systems-Interactions (PSI) theory.

Differences in attentional function between experienced mindfulness meditators and non-meditators

Introduction

Attentional enhancement has often been identified as the central cognitive mechanism underlying the benefits of mindfulness meditation. However, the extent to which this enhancement is observable in the neural processes underlying long-term meditation is unclear. This current study aimed to examine differences in attentional performance between meditators and controls (non-meditators) using a visual oddball task with concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) recordings.

Methods

Thirty-four participants were recruited, including 16 meditators and 18 healthy controls, who were non-meditators. The participants completed a visual oddball task, using visual stimuli, and EEG recording.

Results

Self-reports revealed that meditators had higher mindful attention scores than did the control group. The behavioral results showed that the meditators demonstrated faster reaction times than the non-meditators did. Neural findings indicated a higher P2 amplitude in the meditators than in the controls. The meditators demonstrated a significantly higher P3 in the target trials than in the distractor trials, which was not observed in the controls. Additionally, the time-frequency analysis demonstrated that the delta and theta powers in the meditators were significantly higher than those in the controls.

Conclusions

The study suggests the meditators exhibited greater attentional performance than the controls did, as revealed by EEG and behavioral measures. This study extends previous research on the effects of mindfulness meditation on attention and adds to our understanding of the effects of long-term mindfulness meditation.

Mindful awareness and resilience skills for adolescents (MARS-A): a mixed-methods study of a mindfulness-based intervention for a heterogeneous adolescent clinical population

OBJECTIVES

Mindful Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents (MARS-A) is a mindfulness-based intervention adapted for the adolescent population. While previous studies have explored the benefits of MARS-A in various single-diagnosis populations, the aim of this study was to assess MARS-A for a heterogenous clinical adolescent population with mental health and/or chronic diagnoses, focusing on the underlying suffering present in all these conditions rather than its effects on a single diagnosis itself.

METHODS

Qualitative data was collected through interviews to understand post-intervention participant perspectives and experiences. Quantitative data was collected through measures to investigate preliminary secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

After participating in MARS-A, participants reported qualitative benefits in enhanced well-being, including coping with difficult emotions and managing sleep and/or pain. Quantitative results showed a reduction in functional disability, psychological distress, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms; increase in positive affect; and benefit in coping with pain and chronic conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

MARS-A shows great potential in a heterogeneous clinical adolescent population.

The impact of brief mindfulness meditation on anxiety, cognitive load, and teamwork in emergency simulation training: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Emergency simulation training may impose a heavy psychological burden on health professions students (HPS), evoking anxiety, and overwhelming their cognitive load. Mindfulness may have a positive impact on HPS' anxiety, cognitive load, and teamwork during simulation training. The effects of integration of a brief pre-briefing mindfulness meditation (MM) practice into emergency simulation training, on anxiety, cognitive load, and teamwork remain understudied.

METHODS

From November 2021 to June 2022, 70 undergraduate HPS participated in this pilot randomized controlled study. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG, n = 24) that completed a brief in-person mindfulness meditation training program (MMTP) (2 h/week during 4 weeks) or a control group (CG, n = 46). Each group was comprised of teams (2 medical students and 1-2 nursing students). Measures of anxiety, mindfulness, cognitive load, and teamwork were collected at 4-time points: baseline, after the completion of the brief MMTP (for the EG only), at the first simulation assessment within one month later, and the second (6-month follow-up) simulation assessment. Student's t and Wilcoxon Mann-Whiney tests were used to compare the groups' measures and changes over time. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess anxiety and mindfulness scores' changes over time among EG participants.

RESULTS

52 participants completed all time-point assessments. EG participants recorded better state-anxiety, cognitive load, and teamwork scores than the CG participants in both simulation assessments. However, no statistically significant differences were recorded between the EG and the CG in trait-anxiety and mindfulness at the 6-month follow-up assessment.

CONCLUSION

Brief pre-briefing MM practice mitigates HPS' state-anxiety, and promotes cognitive load, and teamwork during emergency simulation training. Simulation instructors should consider MM practice in the emergency healthcare simulation instructional design.

Testing the monitor and acceptance theory: the role of training-induced changes in monitoring- and acceptance-related capacities after attention-based, socio-emotional, or socio-cognitive mental training in reducing cortisol stress reactivity

Mindfulness-based interventions have become a popular means to reduce stress. However, the specific mechanisms driving observed stress reduction remain understudied. The Monitor and Acceptance Theory suggests that the cultivation of monitoring and acceptance skills are necessary moderators of practice-induced stress reduction. In the context of the ReSource Project, a large healthy adult sample underwent three 3-month mental training modules targeting either attentional (Presence module), socio-affective (Affect module) or socio-cognitive skills (Perspective module). In the current study, the development of a range of inter-individual differences in mindfulness-, interoception- and compassion-related traits - which mapped to either monitoring or acceptance categories - was tracked. The relationship of these training-induced changes with cortisol stress reactivity after the three distinct 3-month training modules was explored. We found that stress sensitivity was particularly modulated by a differential adaptivity of one cultivated attentional capacity - Attention regulation - which predicted higher cortisol reactivity after mere attention training (Presence) but was associated with lower stress-induced cortisol release after additional socio-affective and socio-cognitive practice (Affect and Perspective). However, this effect did not survive multiple comparisons correction, and analyses were limited by the sample size available. We conclude that our study provides preliminary support of the Monitor and Acceptance Theory, lending weight to the advantage of primary attentional increases in order to fully harness the beneficial effects of socio-affective training, ultimately leading to stress reduction. Although training-induced increases in acceptance were not directly shown to contribute to lowering cortisol stress reactivity, the data suggest an additional benefit of socio-affective and socio-cognitive training that is not directly captured within the current analyses. Our study corroborates the importance of going beyond the training of attention monitoring to foster stress resilience, and highlights that mental training relies on the co-development of several interacting processes to successfully attenuate stress. Further exploring the overarching concept of acceptance in future research may prove beneficial to the theoretical framework of MAT, and in understanding the processes by which stress reduction occurs.

Mindfulness and self-compassion in dermatological conditions: a systematic narrative review

OBJECTIVE

People affected by chronic skin conditions suffer from elevated levels of psychological distress. There is a need for evidence-based treatments that integrate medical care. Mindfulness and Self-compassion programs (MCBPs) have proven effective in chronic diseases. This systematic review aims to narratively synthesize the literature on mindfulness and self-compassion as traits and interventions in chronic skin conditions.

DESIGN

We searched four electronic databases for mindfulness and self-compassion trials and correlational studies in chronic skin conditions. We narratively synthetized results regarding the effects of mindfulness and self-compassion, both as traits and as interventions, on psychological and disease outcomes.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies were included in our review. Evidence from cross-sectional studies suggest that mindfulness and self-compassion are linked to lower psychological distress and better adjustment to the disease. MCBPs appear feasible for this population and can lower psychological distress, reduce disease severity and improve quality of life. Methodological issues limit conclusions on MCBP efficacy. Based on our analysis, we propose possible mechanisms that future research could explore.

CONCLUSIONS

The integration of MCBPs in the care process of chronic skin conditions appears promising. Definitive conclusions cannot be drawn due to a lack of strong evidence. Further studies with high methodological standards are needed.

Dispositional mindfulness plays a major role in adolescents' active and passive responding to bully-victim dynamics

Past research on school bullying focused on the role of the bully, suggesting that this active perpetrator is characterized by low empathy, low self-regulation, and high moral disengagement (MD). Studies recently demonstrated a relationship between dispositional mindfulness and bullying as well. However, in the last 2 decades, research has broadened this perspective, suggesting that active and passive bystanders may play a major role in school bullying by either supporting or opposing bullying. In this research, we examined whether empathy, MD, self-regulation, and mindfulness are significantly associated with probullying, defending, and bystanding behaviors. A total of 429 middle and high school adolescents from Israel (mean age = 16.81 years, SD = 1.62) completed online questionnaires. Through structural equation modeling, we found that empathy was associated with both, self-regulation and defending behaviors. MD was associated with defending and probullying behaviors. Dispositional mindfulness was associated with all three roles we examined. All these relationships were significant and in the expected direction. As mindfulness is a disposition that can be cultivated, this finding may have further implications in programs that aim at reducing school bullying.

Gratitude intersects with affect as a boundary condition for daily satisfaction: An affective dynamics perspective

This study is based on the affective events theory to investigate the situational predictors for gratitude-related differences in daily affect and satisfaction. We tested a moderated mediation model in which daily microevents (daily hassles and uplifts) were related to satisfaction through affect, at the within-person level. We also tested the cross-level interaction of gratitude on this indirect relationship. A total of 195 participants participated in a 5-day diary study (195 * 5 = 975 measurement occasions). Multilevel modeling showed that, at the person-level of analysis, daily microevents were significantly related to daily affect and, in turn, to daily satisfaction. At the daily level of analysis, trait-based gratitude moderated the mediation of daily positive affect on the relationship between daily uplifts and daily satisfaction, such that it become stronger for individuals who scored lower on gratitude, but gratitude did not moderate the relationship between daily hassles, negative affect, and satisfaction. These findings make relevant theoretical contributions to understanding the power of gratitude for daily affective dynamics. These results also expand knowledge on within-person processes that explain daily affect and satisfaction, in addition to more traditional between-person factors. In sum, the present research demonstrates that "being grateful" may be associated with being happy and that individuals who are less grateful need to experience more daily uplifts and positive affect to feel satisfied.

Multifractal test for nonlinearity of interactions across scales in time series

The creativity and emergence of biological and psychological behavior tend to be nonlinear, and correspondingly, biological and psychological measures contain degrees of irregularity. The linear model might fail to reduce these measurements to a sum of independent random factors (yielding a stable mean for the measurement), implying nonlinear changes over time. The present work reviews some of the concepts implicated in nonlinear changes over time and details the mathematical steps involved in their identification. It introduces multifractality as a mathematical framework helpful in determining whether and to what degree the measured series exhibits nonlinear changes over time. These mathematical steps include multifractal analysis and surrogate data production for resolving when multifractality entails nonlinear changes over time. Ultimately, when measurements fail to fit the structures of the traditional linear model, multifractal modeling allows for making those nonlinear excursions explicit, that is, to come up with a quantitative estimate of how strongly events may interact across timescales. This estimate may serve some interests as merely a potentially statistically significant indicator of independence failing to hold, but we suspect that this estimate might serve more generally as a predictor of perceptuomotor or cognitive performance.

Mindfulness matters in the classroom: A pilot study of a university-wide classroom-based brief mindfulness program

Objective: The aims of this pilot study were: first, to assess the impact of a brief classroom-based mindfulness program on students' reported levels of mindfulness, well-being, and stress; and, second, to understand students' experiences of participating in the program.Participants: Students at a private midwestern research-intensive university, 133 (16%) students completed either the study's pretest or post-test survey.Methods: The study had an observational design using pre- and post-test survey responses from students taking courses from faculty who were trained to facilitate brief classroom-based mindfulness activities.Results: Students who participated in the semester-long program reported reduced levels of stress and increased mindfulness. Qualitative data indicate that students found the program to be beneficial.Conclusions: Brief classroom-based mindfulness activities led by faculty may have benefits for students in higher education settings. More research is recommended to better understand the impact of mindfulness in the classroom on students and faculty.

The Toronto Mindfulness Scale and the State Mindfulness Scale: psychometric properties of the Spanish versions

Objectives

The Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS) and the State Mindfulness Scale (SMS) are two relevant self-report measures of state mindfulness. The purpose of this study was to examine the internal structure and to offer evidence of the reliability and validity of the Spanish versions of the TMS and SMS.

Methods

Data from six distinct non-clinical samples in Spain were obtained. They responded to the TMS (n = 119), SMS (n = 223), and measures of trait mindfulness, decentering, non-attachment, depression, anxiety, stress, positive and negative affect, self-criticism, and self-reassurance. The internal structure of the TMS and SMS was analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability, construct validity, and sensitivity to change analyses were performed.

Results

The correlated two-factor structure (curiosity and decentering) was the best-fitting model for the TMS (CFI = 0.932; TLI = 0.913; RMSEA = 0.100 [0.077-0.123]; WRMR = 0.908). The bifactor structure (general factor, mindfulness of body, and mindfulness of mind) was the best-fitting model for the SMS (CFI = 0.961; TLI = 0.950; RMSEA = 0.096 [0.086-0.106]; WRMR = 0.993). Adequate reliability was found for both measures. The reliability of the SMS specific factors was very poor when controlling for the general factor. The patterns of correlations were mainly as expected and according to previous literature. The TMS and SMS have been able to detect state mindfulness changes after different meditation practices.

Conclusion

Validity evidence is provided to support the use of the TMS and SMS in Spanish populations, though the reliability of the SMS specific factors merit revision.

Mindfulness and cognitive emotion regulation in pediatric misophonia

Misophonia is characterized by decreased tolerance of ordinary human-generated trigger sounds and associated visual stimuli (e.g., chewing, sniffing, lip smacking), coupled with intense affective reactions. The disorder often begins during childhood or adolescence and is associated with impairment and distress in numerous life domains. Research has begun to examine the underlying psychological mechanisms of misophonia in adults, but studies in youth are limited. Trait mindfulness (i.e., nonjudgmental and nonavoidant present-moment awareness) and cognitive emotion regulation (i.e., cognitive processing, or responding to, emotionally arousing situations) are two proposed mechanisms that may underpin pediatric misophonia and associated functional impairment. In the present exploratory cross-sectional study, we examined trait mindfulness and cognitive emotion regulation and their relations with misophonia features and adaptive functioning in 102 youth with misophonia (Mage = 13.7; SD = 2.5; range = 8-17). More severe misophonia was significantly associated with decreased levels of both trait mindfulness and adaptive functioning across domains, in addition to deficits in certain facets of cognitive emotion regulation, particularly self-blame. Neither trait mindfulness nor facets of cognitive emotion regulation moderated the association between misophonia severity and adaptive functioning across domains, with the notable exception that difficulties with adaptive functioning in peer relationships was attenuated in those high in mindfulness. Findings suggest that trait mindfulness- and to a lesser extent cognitive emotion regulation- may be potentially relevant processes in pediatric misophonia. However, more research is needed to uncover the precise nature of these processes to aid future characterization and intervention efforts, especially in light of equivocal findings in the present study.

Does trait mindfulness mediate the relationship between borderline personality symptoms and emotion dysregulation?

BACKGROUND

Emotion dysregulation is core to many biopsychosocial models of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and is often targeted as part of their associated psychological therapies. Several distinct specialist psychotherapies are thought to be effective for people diagnosed with BPD but it is unclear whether they share common change mechanisms. Some evidence suggests that Mindfulness Based Interventions improve competency in emotion regulation as well as trait mindfulness, which are both plausibly associated with good treatment outcomes. It is unclear whether the association between the severity of BPD symptoms and emotion dysregulation is mediated by trait mindfulness. Would improvement in trait mindfulness mediate an association between lower severity of BPD symptoms and fewer problems of emotion dysregulation?

METHODS

One thousand and twelve participants completed online, single time-point, self-report questionnaires.

RESULTS

As predicted, the severity of BPD symptoms was significantly and positively associated with emotion dysregulation with a large effect size (r = .77). Trait mindfulness mediated this relationship as the 95% confidence interval for the indirect effect did not cross zero (size of direct effect = .48 and size of indirect effect = .29 [.25, .33].

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between the severity of BPD symptoms and emotion dysregulation was confirmed in this dataset. As hypothesised, this relationship was mediated by trait mindfulness. Process measures of emotion dysregulation and mindfulness should be included in intervention studies for people diagnosed with BPD to understand if improvements in these factors are a universal occurrence with good response to treatment. Other process measures should also be explored to identify other factors involved in the relationship between BPD symptoms and emotion dysregulation.

Moderating Impact of Dispositional Mindfulness in the Relationship Between Future Expectancies and Psychological Well-Being

OBJECTIVES

Mindfulness has been studied under cultivated or dispositional divisions where the latter has strong implications for psychological well-being in meditators and non-meditators alike. In addition, future expectations, or prospections, regarding the occurrence of important events in a person's future have recently been hypothesized to be the main cause behind symptoms of major depression. There is, however, a lack of empirical research looking at possible links between dispositional mindfulness, as understood in its facet structure, and future expectations as understood via perceived risk of occurrence and vividness of mental imagery when prompted to imagine a given list of positive and negative prospective event item lists. Therefore, this research aimed at examining how dispositional mindfulness may be related to probabilistic risk assessments of positive and negative future events (Stage I); and how mental imagery vividness may be moderated by mindfulness facets (Stage II).

METHODS

Both stages included healthy participants and incorporated the PROCESS macro for moderated regression analysis done with the SPSS software. Stage I included 204 voluntary college students, and Stage II was conducted online with a public sample of 110 adults.

RESULTS

Although no interaction effect was found in Stage I, nonreactivity to inner experience facet of dispositional mindfulness moderated the relationship between negative imagery vividness and psychological distress in Stage II (F_(1,103) = 4.00, R² change=.018, p <.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This is a novel finding that could inform a future line of research looking into the relationship between prospection and mindfulness, holding a potential for informing research on mindfulness-based interventions.

Protocol for a bandit-based response adaptive trial to evaluate the effectiveness of brief self-guided digital interventions for reducing psychological distress in university students: the Vibe Up study

INTRODUCTION

Meta-analytical evidence confirms a range of interventions, including mindfulness, physical activity and sleep hygiene, can reduce psychological distress in university students. However, it is unclear which intervention is most effective. Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven adaptive trials may be an efficient method to determine what works best and for whom. The primary purpose of the study is to rank the effectiveness of mindfulness, physical activity, sleep hygiene and an active control on reducing distress, using a multiarm contextual bandit-based AI-adaptive trial method. Furthermore, the study will explore which interventions have the largest effect for students with different levels of baseline distress severity.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The Vibe Up study is a pragmatically oriented, decentralised AI-adaptive group sequential randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of one of three brief, 2-week digital self-guided interventions (mindfulness, physical activity or sleep hygiene) or active control (ecological momentary assessment) in reducing self-reported psychological distress in Australian university students. The adaptive trial methodology involves up to 12 sequential mini-trials that allow for the optimisation of allocation ratios. The primary outcome is change in psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, 21-item version, DASS-21 total score) from preintervention to postintervention. Secondary outcomes include change in physical activity, sleep quality and mindfulness from preintervention to postintervention. Planned contrasts will compare the four groups (ie, the three intervention and control) using self-reported psychological distress at prespecified time points for interim analyses. The study aims to determine the best performing intervention, as well as ranking of other interventions.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was sought and obtained from the UNSW Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC A, HC200466). A trial protocol adhering to the requirements of the Guideline for Good Clinical Practice was prepared for and approved by the Sponsor, UNSW Sydney (Protocol number: HC200466_CTP).

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12621001223820.

Patterns of Respiration Rate Reactivity in Response to a Cognitive Stressor Associate With Self-Reported Mental Health Outcomes

Many studies have examined physiological responses to acute stress in healthy and clinical populations. Some have documented exaggerated physiological stress reactivity in response to acute stress, while others have reported blunted physiological stress reactivity. Although the literature is conflicted, the relationship between abnormal physiological stress reactivity and negative outcomes is well-established. However, past research has neglected a critical aspect of physiological stress response - respiration - and it is unclear whether differences in respiration rate responses to acute stress are related to health outcomes. This secondary cross-sectional analysis explored differences in outcomes between three subgroups: blunted, moderate, and exaggerated respiration rate reactivity to an acute stress task. In a sample of at least mildly-stressed older adults (n = 55), we found that perceived stress (b = -7.63; p = .004) and depression (b = -9.13; p = .007) were significantly lower in the moderate reactivity group compared to the high reactivity group, and that self-reported mindfulness (b = 10.96; p = .008) was significantly lower in the moderate reactivity group as compared to the low reactivity group. Across outcomes, participants in the moderate range of physiological reactivity showed less negative and more positive psychological attributes and better health outcomes, while the blunted subgroup demonstrated more negative and less positive psychological attributes and worse health outcomes overall, when compared to the exaggerated and moderate groups. This study extends the literature by adding respiration to markers of acute physiological stress reactivity and demonstrating the effects of blunted respiration reactivity on negative psychological attributes and health outcomes.

Mindfulness may be associated with less prosocial engagement among high intelligence individuals

This study examined the role of dispositional mindfulness in the association between intelligence and prosocial behavior. A total of 759 college students (mean age is 22.03; 477 females) participated in exchange for extra credit in psychology course. The results confirmed a positive relationship between intelligence and prosocial behavior as revealed by many studies, with empathy serving as a potential mediator. Mindfulness negatively moderated all the hypothesized pathways between research variables. Specifically, with the increase of the levels of dispositional mindfulness, (1) the intelligence-prosociality association changed from positive to negative, (2) the intelligence-empathy association changed from positively significant to insignificant, (3) the empathy-prosociality association changed from stronger to weaker. These findings may suggest some limitations of mindfulness. That is, present moment awareness and acceptance of the status quo may result in reduced arousal when witnessing others suffering, thereby preventing high intelligence individuals from helping the sufferers to get rid of trouble.

Self-judgment dissected: A computational modeling analysis of self-referential processing and its relationship to trait mindfulness facets and depression symptoms

Cognitive theories of depression, and mindfulness theories of well-being, converge on the notion that self-judgment plays a critical role in mental health. However, these theories have rarely been tested via tasks and computational modeling analyses that can disentangle the information processes operative in self-judgments. We applied a drift-diffusion computational model to the self-referential encoding task (SRET) collected before and after an 8-week mindfulness intervention (n = 96). A drift-rate regression parameter representing positive-relative to negative-self-referential judgment strength positively related to mindful awareness and inversely related to depression, both at baseline and over time; however, this parameter did not significantly relate to the interaction between mindful awareness and nonjudgmentalness. At the level of individual depression symptoms, at baseline, a spectrum of symptoms (inversely) correlated with the drift-rate regression parameter, suggesting that many distinct depression symptoms relate to valenced self-judgment between subjects. By contrast, over the intervention, changes in only a smaller subset of anhedonia-related depression symptoms showed substantial relationships with this parameter. Both behavioral and model-derived measures showed modest split-half and test-retest correlations. Results support cognitive theories that implicate self-judgment in depression and mindfulness theories, which imply that mindful awareness should lead to more positive self-views.

Examining the roles of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion on the effects from mindfulness to athlete burnout: A longitudinal study

OBJECTIVES

Athlete burnout is a maladaptive outcome that is potentially detrimental for performance and wellbeing. Cross-sectional evidence suggests that mindfulness might be associated with athlete burnout via experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion. In the current study, we extend knowledge of these hypothesized mediational pathways using a longitudinal design.

METHODS

Data was collected at three occasions with a three-month interval. A final sample of 280 elite Chinese athletes aged 15-32 years (Mage = 19.13; SD = 2.92; Female = 130) reported their mindfulness at Time 1, experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion at Time 2, and athlete burnout at Time 3. Structural equation modelling was adopted to examine the mediating roles of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion on the effects from mindfulness to athlete burnout.

RESULTS

We found statistically meaningful directs effects from mindfulness (Time 1) to experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion (Time 2), which in turn influenced athlete burnout (Time 3). However, the direct effect from mindfulness at Time 1 to athlete burnout at Time 3 was non-significant. The indirect effects of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion on the effects from mindfulness to athlete burnout were significant, providing longitudinal evidence that these two variables contribute meaningfully to the mindfulness-burnout pathway.

CONCLUSION

With initial evidence for the mediating effects of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion, future studies could consider using experimental designs to examine the potential changing mechanisms of mindfulness on reducing athlete burnout.

The Mediating Effect of Empathy between Mindfulness and Self-Leadership in Female University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

(1) Background: Acknowledging scant research on integrating mindfulness, empathy, and self-leadership among female university students, this study aimed to investigate the relationships among these three variables, as well as the mediating effect of empathy. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed with 127 female sophomores in a mindfulness-based liberal arts class at K Women's University in South Korea. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire measuring levels of mindfulness, empathy, and self-leadership. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and correlations between the variables using the SPSS 28 program. The Jamovi 2.2.5 program was used to analyze the mediating effect of empathy. (3) Results: The levels of mindfulness, empathy, and self-leadership were higher than in previous studies. Mindfulness was positively related to empathy (r = 0.407, p < 0.001) and self-leadership (r = 0.635, p < 0.001); empathy was also positively associated with self-leadership (r = 0.635, p < 0.001). Furthermore, empathy mediated the relationship between mindfulness and self-leadership (β = 0.187, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The findings indicate that mindfulness is helpful in improving university students' self-leadership by reinforcing their empathy, and that an integrated training program of mindfulness and empathy could produce positive effects on promoting self-leadership. The findings can be utilized as a basis for developing programs to improve mindfulness and empathy, eventually improving students' self-leadership.

Examining socio-cognitive factors and beliefs about mindful eating in healthy adults with differing practice experience: a cross-sectional study

Background

Mindful eating (ME), defined as a “non-judgmental awareness of bodily and emotional sensations regarding food consumption”, may be a promising strategy to promote healthy eating behaviors. However, little is known about the psychosocial factors and underlying beliefs that explain ME adoption.

Methods

Participants (N = 282; M_age = 43.2) responded to an online questionnaire based on the I-Change Model. Groups with different frequencies of prior engagement in ME, i.e., low (n = 82; LME), medium (n = 96), and high (n = 104), were compared via (M)ANOVAs on factors and individual beliefs regarding predisposing (i.e., habits, experience with mindfulness, emotional eating, facets of ME), pre-motivational (i.e., knowledge, behavioral cognizance, risk perception, cues to action), and motivational factors (i.e., attitudes, self-efficacy, social influence) as well as their intentions and action planning. Bivariate correlations and a forward-stepwise regression with ICM constructs were conducted to examine model fit.

Results

LME had a greater habit of mindless eating and significantly lower internal awareness, cognizance, cues, and less favorable attitudes, self-efficacy, engagement and support by their social environment, intention, and action plans about engaging in ME than the other two groups. Less habitual mindless eating, and greater experience, internal awareness, cognizance, susceptibility, support, and intention explained 54% of the variance in ME.

Discussion and conclusion

Results indicate that individuals need to be treated differently when promoting ME with respect to their psychosocial characteristics, rather than as a single group with homogenous baseline beliefs, abilities, support, and motivation. Future longitudinal research should examine which determinants are predictors of ME to better tailor program contents.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-022-00977-4.

Mediating effects of emotion regulation between socio-cognitive mindfulness and empathy in nurses: a cross-sectional study

Background

Acknowledging the under-examined research of socio-cognitive mindfulness and Gross’s emotion regulation strategies in nursing, this study investigated the relationships between socio-cognitive mindfulness, emotion regulation (i.e., reappraisal and suppression), and empathy among nurses. It also explored the mediating effects of emotion regulation.

Methods

A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in a sample of 245 nurses from two university hospitals in South Korea. Convenience sampling was used to collect data between August 3 and September 29, 2020. Participants completed the questionnaire measuring their socio-cognitive mindfulness, emotion regulation, and empathy. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were conducted for data analysis.

Results

Socio-cognitive mindfulness positively influenced emotion regulation of reappraisal (β = 0.404, p < 0.01) and empathy (β = 0.402, p < 0.01), but negatively influenced emotion regulation of suppression (β = −0.149, p < 0.05). Reappraisal positively influenced empathy (β = 0.341, p < 0.01), whereas suppression negatively influenced empathy (β = −0.127, p < 0.05). Importantly, emotion regulation of reappraisal mediated the association between socio-cognitive mindfulness and empathy (a X b = 0.107, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The findings indicate that socio-cognitive mindfulness is effective in improving empathy among nurses by enhancing reappraisal. This study can provide a foundation for developing socio-cognitive mindfulness or emotion regulation programs to improve empathy among nurses, which would ultimately lead to better nursing performance by increasing patient satisfaction.

A single-session Mindfulness-Based Swinging Technique vs. cognitive disputation intervention among women with breast cancer: A pilot randomised controlled study examining the efficacy at 8-week follow-up

Objective

Previously Mindfulness-Based Swinging Technique (MBST)'s immediate efficacy for overcoming psychological concerns has recently received empirical support, yet its longer-term efficacy needed to be evaluated among women with breast cancer. The objective of this study was to assess and report the efficacy of MBST intervention among breast cancer patients for hopelessness, anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, oxygen (SpO2) intensity, and heart rate-beats per minute (HR-bpm) at an 8-week period.

Method

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Emotion Thermometer, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease, and Beck's Hopelessness Scale were used for assessing the intervention's outcome; 149 BC patients were randomly assigned into two groups (equal-mean-age, p = 0.262). The participants in the control group (CG, n = 73) received Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-Cognitive-Disputation (CBT-CD) for 20 min, and intervention group (IG, n = 76) received MBST intervention. No additional psychological interventions were given between week-1 and week-8.

Result

Outcomes of the 8-week post-treatment follow-up exhibited significantly higher improvements in all evaluated-measurements for CG, and some for IG with large effect size in the following: anxiety (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.57; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.44) and depression levels (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.43). It increased self-efficacy for managing disease (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.49; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.41) and hopefulness (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.59; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.46), and saturation levels measured by pulse-meter/oximeter (CG p < 0.05, r = 0.49; IG p < 0.05, r = 0.32).

Conclusions

Both CBT-CD and MBST have been found to be efficacious interventions to shorten the psychotherapy duration for reducing clinical anxiety and hopelessness as well as increase self-efficacy for BC women. This may have a distinct clinical importance for supporting BC patient's adherence-to-treatment since CBT-CD could be an alternative technique to MBST as a brief intervention. In future studies, the effectiveness of MBST through adapting to virtual reality and other online delivery methods should be examined.

Cross-cultural validity of the five items Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5) in Peru and Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Spanish version of the 5-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5) is a brief measure of the general tendency to be attentive and aware of experiences in the present moment during daily life. The MAAS-5 has been used in different countries; however, an assessment of its cross-cultural measurement invariance (MI) has not been conducted. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the MAAS-5 in university students from two countries: Peru and Mexico. A total of 1144 university students from Peru (N = 822) and Mexico (N = 322) responded online to the Spanish version of the 5-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5). A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Measurement invariance tests the hypothesis that the model behind a set of scores is comparable between groups. The results showed that the unidimensional structure of the MAAS-5 is the same between Peruvian and Mexican university students. Therefore, it is suggested that university students from both countries conceptualize the mindfulness in a similar way. As a result, the MAAS-5 can be used to compare differences between countries. No significant differences were observed in the MAAS-5 score between Peruvian and Mexican university students. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the psychometric properties of the MAAS-5 by presenting MI results in two Latin American countries. Implications of the findings are discussed, which will facilitate a more solid and reliable use of the MAAS-5 in future cross-cultural studies.

Meditation experience is associated with lower levels of repetitive negative thinking: The key role of self-compassion

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between meditation experience and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) in regular meditators with a wide range of experience, and to examine the extent to which self-compassion and mindfulness mediate this relationship. RNT is a transdiagnostic process that is implicated in the development and maintenance of several mental health disorders. Converging evidence suggests that meditation practice is associated with improved mental health and may reduce levels of RNT. Increased levels of self-compassion and mindfulness have been associated with decreased levels of RNT and proposed as theoretically consistent mediators by which meditation practice exerts its beneficial effects; however, they are seldom considered in combination. In a cross-sectional design, 1281 meditators (mean age = 44.7 years, SD = 13.9, 53.7% female) completed questionnaires about meditation experience, RNT, self-compassion, and mindfulness. Linear regression and generalised structural equation models were used to examine the data. Longer duration of meditation experience was associated with lower levels of RNT and higher levels of self-compassion and mindfulness. Meditation experience was associated with RNT indirectly through self-compassion, but not through mindfulness. The results offer preliminary support for longer-term meditation as a potential means for reducing the maladaptive process of RNT. Clinically, self-compassion could be identified as a promising treatment target for interventions.

Mindfulness Practice Is Associated With Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis Resilience in People With Crohn's Disease but Not Ulcerative Colitis

OBJECTIVES

People with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease: IBD), commonly experience high levels of depressive symptoms and stress and low levels of subjective wellbeing (SWB). Mindfulness is increasingly considered an adjuvant IBD treatment. The relationships between depression, disease symptoms and mindfulness have not previously been considered within the theory of SWB homeostasis. This theory states that SWB is normally maintained by a homeostatic system around a setpoint range but can fail when psychological challenges dominate consciousness. This study explored the relationship among SWB and patient-reported psychological and IBD symptoms and investigated whether mindfulness practice is independently associated with SWB homeostatic resilience.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study recruited participants through online IBD support groups.

METHODS

Participants (n = 739; 62% Crohn's disease) detailed symptoms of depression and stress, patient-reported disease symptoms, and regularity of mindfulness practice.

RESULTS

The sample had significantly lower SWB (hedges g = -0.98) than normative data. A logistic regression found mindfulness practice doubled the Crohn's disease participants' odds of reporting SWB within the normal homeostatic range, after controlling for psychological, physical, and demographic variables (OR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.66). A one-point increase of patient-reported bowel symptoms reduced the participant's odds of reporting SWB in the normal homeostatic range by about a third (OR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.85). However, the influence of mindfulness or disease symptoms on SWB was not observed for people with ulcerative colitis.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide initial evidence for an association between mindfulness and SWB homeostatic resilience in a clinical population.

Can the Multi-Theory Model (MTM) of Health Behavior Change Explain the Intent for People to Practice Meditation?

Meditation is gaining popularity as adjuvant therapy for many chronic ailments, mental well-being, and spiritual growth. Behavioral theories have been underutilized in understanding meditation behavior. This study aimed to test if a fourth-generation multi-theory model (MTM) could explain the intent for starting and maintaining meditation behavior in a sample of US adults. A face and content valid 48-item instrument based on MTM was administered in a cross-sectional design through an online survey (n = 330). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.70) and construct validation using structural equation modeling of the subscales were all acceptable. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that, after controlling for demographic covariates, the MTM constructs of participatory dialogue (β  =  0.153; P  =  .002) and behavioral confidence (β  =  0.479; P < .001) were statistically significant in predicting intent for starting meditation behavior and accounted for 32.9% of the variance. Furthermore, after controlling for demographic covariates, the MTM constructs of emotional transformation (β  =  0.390; P < .001) and changes in the social environment (β  =  0.395; P < .001) were statistically significant and accounted for 52.9% of the variance in the intent for maintaining meditation behavior. Based on this study, it can be concluded that MTM offers a pragmatic framework to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based (theory-based) meditation behavior change interventions.

Relations among Socially Prescribed Perfectionism, Career Stress, Mental Health, and Mindfulness in Korean College Students

Korean young adults are exposed to higher career stress than ever before, and such stress exerts a negative impact on mental health outcomes. The present study aimed to understand the mediating effect of career stress on the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and mental health using a sample of 420 Korean college students. The present study also investigated the moderating role of mindfulness in the mediated pathways across gender groups. This study's results showed that there are considerable gender differences in this relationship. Career stress significantly mediates the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and depression and life satisfaction only for females. Study findings also indicated that the moderating effect of mindfulness was more remarkable for female students than for male students. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Investigating mindfulness influences on cognitive function: On the promise and potential of converging research strategies

Research investigating the effects and underlying mechanisms of mindfulness on cognitive functioning has accelerated exponentially over the past two decades. Despite the rapid growth of the literature and its influential role in garnering public interest in mindfulness, inconsistent methods in defining and measuring mindfulness have yielded variable findings, which contribute to the overall dearth of clear generalizable conclusions. The focus of this article is to address the lack of cohesion in the collective methodologies used in this domain by providing a new perspective grounded in classic cognitive and experimental psychology principles. We leverage the concept of converging operations to demonstrate how seemingly disparate research strategies can be integrated towards a more unified and systematic approach. An organizing taxonomic framework is described to provide useful structure in how mindfulness can be operationalized, measured, and investigated. We illustrate the rationale and core organizing principles of the framework through a selective review of studies on mindfulness and cognitive control. We then demonstrate the utility of the approach by showing how it can be applied to synthesize extant methodologies and guide the development of future research. Specific suggestions and examples pertaining to experimental design and statistical analysis are provided.

What do people mean when they talk about mindfulness?

Psychological theories cast mindfulness as a form of awareness in which accepting the presence of stressful thoughts and feelings facilitates engaged exploration and identification of adaptive responses. Critics of mindfulness' popularization suggest that lay people misconstrue acceptance as a passive endorsement of experience, undermining engaged problem-solving. To evaluate this criticism, we traced the contemporary semantic meaning of mindfulness in three of the most extensive linguistic corpora of English language and found that general public's depictions of mindfulness highlight engagement-related processes. We further analyzed the nomological network of mindfulness. While mindfulness theories suggest a general convergence of facets representing awareness and acceptance, in a meta-analysis (k = 145; N = 41,966) of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire only expert- and clinical samples reported convergence, whereas lay people showed absent or even antagonistic associations. Further, contrary to the synergistic model of awareness and acceptance contributing to greater engagement, empirical probes of two lay samples (N_total = 406) show that acceptance is either unrelated or inversely related to markers of engagement. To overcome resulting conceptual and methodological challenges, we highlight the need for a contextualized mindfulness framework whereby acceptance enables the process of engaging with life's challenges rather than avoiding them.

Development and Validation of the Four Facet Mindful Eating Scale (FFaMES)

OBJECTIVES

Previous mindful eating scales stress the attentional domains of eating-specific mindfulness, such as present-moment attention to homeostatic cues of hunger and satiety while discounting other important domains such as non-judgment and decentering. The purpose of the series of studies was to develop and evaluate a multifaceted mindful eating scale that assesses several domains of eating-specific mindfulness.

METHODS

A multistep process was used to construct the Four Facet Mindful Eating Scale (FFaMES). Study 1 outlined the initial scale construction and the development of a novel item pool (N = 480). Study 2 examined the internal structure of the observed variables using exploratory analysis (N = 445) and confirmatory analysis in a separate sample (N = 445). Reliability and validity were assessed in Study 3 (N = 166).

RESULTS

The final scale consists of 29 items with 4 factors: Non-Reactance, Non-Judgment, External Awareness, and Internal Awareness. The FFaMES demonstrated good internal consistency, retest reliability as well as preliminary convergent and divergent validity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide reliability evidence and initial support for the construct validity of the FFaMES and the continued study of multiple facets of eating-specific mindfulness. Future research should continue to investigate the differential effects of various aspects of eating-specific mindfulness in the prevention and treatment of obesity and its comorbidities.

An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study on the Relationship between Dispositional Mindfulness and Empathy in Undergraduate Medical Students

There is a growing interest in identifying the psychological variables that promote and sustain empathy in medical students during their studies. Dispositional mindfulness has been shown to be empirically associated with socio-demographic characteristics and empathy among the general population. This research aimed to assess dispositional mindfulness in a sample of undergraduate medical students and to investigate its association with gender, age, and empathy. Hypotheses: It is hypothesized that male medical students would show, on average, higher dispositional mindfulness than their female counterparts, and that older students would exhibit higher dispositional mindfulness than younger ones. Dispositional mindfulness was also expected to be positively associated with the ability to feel compassion for others and to adopt their perspective, and negatively associated with the personal distress in tense interpersonal settings. Method: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were gathered from a large sample (N = 933) of Italian non-meditating second- and fifth-year medical students. Dispositional mindfulness and empathy were assessed using the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, respectively. Gender and age differences in dispositional mindfulness scores were calculated by analyses of variance, whereas hierarchical multiple regression models were used to assess the association between dispositional mindfulness and empathy scores. RESULTS Female medical students were more able to Act with Awareness than males, whereas males had higher levels than females of Describing and Nonreactivity to their feelings. When compared to their older counterparts, younger students scored higher on Observing and lower on Nonreactivity facets. Dispositional mindfulness facets correlated differently with both emotional and cognitive empathy dimensions, beyond the effects of gender and age. Medical students who displayed higher dispositional mindfulness appeared to be less emotionally distressed in tense interpersonal settings and more able to take others' cognitive perspective. Conclusions: The findings support the notion that dispositional mindfulness is related to empathy and may have implications for the design of mindfulness-based training for use in the medical educational setting. Tailored interventions that cultivate specific dispositional mindfulness facets may be implemented along the medical curriculum to prevent the emotional distress in tense interpersonal settings and to sustain the cognitive capability to take others' viewpoints among medical students.

Brief mindfulness-based training and mindfulness trait attenuate psychological stress in university students: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Psychological distress in University settings has grown and became a public health concern. In this context, contemplative practices such as mindfulness have been proposed as a strategy to help students on stress management.

METHODS

Forty university students (20 female), aged between 18 to 30 years (mean = 24.15; SD = 3.56), with no previous experience with meditation or yoga were recruited at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and randomized to a mindfulness training (MT) or active control (AC) groups. We analyzed measures of anxiety, affect, stress, as well as state and trait mindfulness in order to evaluate the effects of trait mindfulness and a brief mindfulness intervention in forty healthy young students. Participants were classified as Low (n = 27, females = 13) or High (n = 13, females = 7) Trait Mindfulness by k-means clustering and compared between them using Wilcoxon sum rank test. Furthermore, the sample was randomly allocated to an AC (n = 20, females = 10) or a MT (n = 20, females = 10) group, and mixed analysis of variance was performed to analyze the effect of interventions. The mechanisms and role of trait mindfulness in the intervention was assessed by a moderated mediation analysis.

RESULTS

We found that High Trait individuals have lower anxiety trait, anxiety state and perceived stress levels. Only the MT group reduced their anxiety state and perceived stress after the intervention and increased their state mindfulness. Both groups reduced negative affect and cortisol, and no change was found in positive affect. Moderated mediation analysis showed that the training-induced change in state mindfulness mediated the increase in positive affect and the decrease in perceived stress and cortisol, regardless of trait mindfulness. For anxiety state the decrease only occurred in individuals with High Trait Mindfulness.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, these results suggest that higher trait mindfulness is associated with low levels of psychological distress and that a brief mindfulness-based intervention seems to be useful to reduce distress measures in university students.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ReBEC, U1111-1194-8661. Registered 28 March 2017-Retrospectively registered, http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-7b8yh8.

Individual Differences in the Contents and Form of Present-Moment Awareness: The Multidimensional Awareness Scale

Decentering, a detached, observer perspective on one's mental activity, is an important concept for understanding mental health. Meta-awareness, people's awareness of their own current mental activity, is thought to facilitate decentering. However, trait measures of these concepts are not available or have validity concerns. We sought to create a theoretically derived measure of meta-awareness and decentering that allowed an exploration of questions in the literature regarding whether there are multiple forms of decentered awareness and whether meta-awareness and external awareness are distinct. Across six samples and 2,480 participants, we developed the 25-item Multidimensional Awareness Scale, with subscales assessing meta-awareness (present moment awareness of mental activity), decentered awareness (meta-awareness from a psychologically distant perspective), and external awareness (present moment awareness of the world outside of oneself). The scales demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Results are discussed in terms of the conceptual implications of the scale structure and its potential uses.

Heart rate variability is enhanced during mindfulness practice: A randomized controlled trial involving a 10-day online-based mindfulness intervention

OBJECTIVES

The goal of the present study was to probe the effects of mindfulness practice in a naturalistic setting as opposed to a lab-based environment in the presence of continuous heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. The specific experimental goals were to examine the effects of a brief 10-day online-based mindfulness intervention on both chronic and acute HRV responses.

METHOD

We conducted a fully randomized 10-day longitudinal trial of mindfulness practice, explicitly controlling for practice effects with an active-control group (music listening) and a non-intervention control group. To assess chronic cardiovascular effects, we asked participants in the 3 groups to complete 2-day HRV pre- and post-intervention measurement sessions. Using this experimental setup enabled us to address training effects arising from mindfulness practice to assess physiological impact on daytime as well as nighttime (i.e. assessing sleep quality) on the underlying HRV response. To assess acute cardiovascular effects, we measured HRV in the 2 active intervention groups during each of the 10 daily mindfulness or music sessions. This allowed us to track the development of purported training effects arising from mindfulness practice relative to the active-control intervention in terms of changes in the HRV slope over the 10-day time-course.

RESULTS

Firstly, for the acute phase we found increased HRV during the daily practice sessions in both the mindfulness and active-control group indicating that both interventions were effective in decreasing acute physiological stress. Secondly, for the chronic phase we found increased HRV in both the day- and nighttime indicating increased sleep quality, specifically in the mindfulness group.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest causal effects in both chronic and acute phases of mindfulness practice in formerly naïve subjects and provides support for the argument that brief online-based mindfulness interventions exert positive impact on HRV.