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Current Opinion in Psychology Aug 2019Despite the growing popular and scientific interest in mindfulness and other forms of meditation, there are important gaps in our understanding of the full range of... (Review)
Review
Despite the growing popular and scientific interest in mindfulness and other forms of meditation, there are important gaps in our understanding of the full range of contemplative practices and the manner in which specific forms of meditation may contribute to well-being. In this article, we discuss the relationship between mindfulness and other forms of meditation, such as those related to prosocial qualities, cognitive insight, and meaning and purpose. We propose that mindfulness plays an important role as a foundation for other contemplative practices. We also discuss the importance of worldview as a variable in mindfulness practice and raise questions that may guide future research in this area.
Topics: Awareness; Humans; Meditation; Mind-Body Therapies; Mindfulness
PubMed: 30481655
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.007 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Aug 2022Mindfulness is characterized by skills such as heightened awareness and acceptance of internal experiences, which may be helpful for people who have experienced trauma.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Mindfulness is characterized by skills such as heightened awareness and acceptance of internal experiences, which may be helpful for people who have experienced trauma. The consistency and strength of the relationship between trait mindfulness and PTSD symptomology, however, is unknown. Studies were included in this review if they were published in an English language peer-reviewed journal, reported on a correlational relationship between validated measures of mindfulness and PTSD, and all participants were over the age of 18. A random effects meta-analysis showed that there was a robust, pooled relationship between total mindfulness and PTSD (r = -0.39, 95% CI [-0.47 to -0.30]), based on 35 datasets with 13,370 participants, with low risk of publication bias. Sixteen articles reported on facets of mindfulness and PTSD symptomology [5,206 to 5,600 participants]: the strongest associations were with Act with Awareness (r = -0.37) and Non-judge (r = -0.37), followed by Describe (r = -0.22) and Non-react (r = -0.21). Observe was not significantly associated with PTSD symptoms. Results from this analysis suggest that people who are more mindful also report fewer symptoms of PTSD ; the strength of the relationship varies across mindfulness facets. There was high heterogeneity across studies.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 35753243
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.05.027 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2020Clinical evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety, depression, and stress, and improves emotion regulation due to modulation of activity in neural...
Clinical evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety, depression, and stress, and improves emotion regulation due to modulation of activity in neural substrates linked to the regulation of emotions and social preferences. However, less was known about whether mindfulness meditation might alter pro-social behavior. Here we examined whether mindfulness meditation activates human altruism, a component of social cooperation. Using a simple donation game, which is a real-world version of the Dictator's Game, we randomly assigned 326 subjects to a mindfulness meditation online session or control and measured their willingness to donate a portion of their payment for participation as a charitable donation. Subjects who underwent the meditation treatment donated at a 2.61 times higher rate than the control (p = 0.005), after controlling for socio-demographics. We also found a larger treatment effect of meditation among those who did not go to college (p < 0.001) and those who were under 25 years of age (p < 0.001), with both subject groups contributing virtually nothing in the control condition. Our results imply high context modularity of human altruism and the development of intervention approaches including mindfulness meditation to increase social cooperation, especially among subjects with low baseline willingness to contribute.
Topics: Adult; Altruism; Anxiety; Charities; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Meditation; Mindfulness; Social Behavior; Video Games
PubMed: 32300129
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62652-1 -
Current Opinion in Psychology Aug 2019Research on Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) is hampered by semantic ambiguity surrounding the term 'mindfulness'. Understanding the core quality involved in such... (Review)
Review
Research on Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) is hampered by semantic ambiguity surrounding the term 'mindfulness'. Understanding the core quality involved in such research could be improved by adding historical depth to definitions of mindfulness, based on more detailed information on mindfulness from text-historical and doctrinal sources in the Buddhist traditions. Particular applications of mindfulness in current clinical usage could be compared to related approaches or doctrinal teachings in Buddhist traditions as part of an ongoing cross-disciplinary dialogue between academics in Buddhist studies and in psychology under the shared aim of deepening our understanding of what mindfulness involves and how it operates.
Topics: Awareness; Buddhism; History, Ancient; Humans; Mind-Body Therapies; Mindfulness
PubMed: 30359935
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.09.013 -
Advances in Child Development and... 2020The prevalence of "mindfulness" in popular media, academia, and professional circles is difficult to miss. Newspapers, magazines, online articles, clinical programs,... (Review)
Review
The prevalence of "mindfulness" in popular media, academia, and professional circles is difficult to miss. Newspapers, magazines, online articles, clinical programs, podcasts, scholarly and professional meetings, sports organizations, and many other outlets focus on the benefits of mindfulness. Despite the intense focus on mindfulness in Western society, it is astonishing that the evidence base (i.e., documented, scholarly, peer-reviewed evaluations) for these programs is woefully inadequate. Varying definitions of what mindfulness is, what it entails, what specific benefits to psychological functioning are observed (if any), and inadequate scientific testing all contribute to a lean knowledge base. Evaluation of potential benefits of mindful practice with children is even more difficult because children are a more heterogeneous group than adults; the differing developmental levels are likely to have profound effects on the efficacy of mindfulness-based programming with children. We review these issues and provide an explanation of the strength of different kinds of evidence, with suggestions for (a) researchers who study mindfulness with children and (b) clinical professionals and educators interested in developing mindful attitudes and techniques with children.
Topics: Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Evidence-Based Practice; Humans; Mindfulness; Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; Program Evaluation
PubMed: 32169196
DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2020.01.007 -
Translational Psychiatry Nov 2023Mindfulness-based interventions are showing increasing promise as a treatment for psychological disorders, with improvements in cognition and emotion regulation after...
Mindfulness-based interventions are showing increasing promise as a treatment for psychological disorders, with improvements in cognition and emotion regulation after intervention. Understanding the changes in functional brain activity and neural plasticity that underlie these benefits from mindfulness interventions is thus of interest in current neuroimaging research. Previous studies have found functional brain changes during resting and task states to be associated with mindfulness both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, particularly in the executive control, default mode and salience networks. However, limited research has combined information from rest and task to study mindfulness-related functional changes in the brain, particularly in the context of intervention studies with active controls. Recent work has found that the reconfiguration efficiency of brain activity patterns between rest and task states is behaviorally relevant in healthy young adults. Thus, we applied this measure to investigate how mindfulness intervention changed functional reconfiguration between rest and a breath-counting task in elderly participants with self-reported sleep difficulties. Improving on previous longitudinal designs, we compared the intervention effects of a mindfulness-based therapy to an active control (sleep hygiene) intervention. We found that mindfulness intervention improved self-reported mindfulness measures and brain functional reconfiguration efficiency in the executive control, default mode and salience networks, though the brain and behavioral changes were not associated with each other. Our findings suggest that neuroplasticity may be induced through regular mindfulness practice, thus bringing the intrinsic functional configuration in participants' brains closer to a state required for mindful awareness.
Topics: Young Adult; Humans; Aged; Mindfulness; Brain; Cognition; Executive Function; Brain Mapping; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
PubMed: 37951943
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02642-9 -
Journal of Community Psychology Sep 2022The benefits of mindfulness are well-documented; however, these benefits may not be evenly distributed across communities. Equitable Mindfulness aims to make these...
The benefits of mindfulness are well-documented; however, these benefits may not be evenly distributed across communities. Equitable Mindfulness aims to make these benefits accessible to a wider and more inclusive audience. The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of Equitable Mindfulness and systemic barriers that prevent mindfulness programs from being equitably accessed across communities. Twenty-one participants were recruited for qualitative in-depth interviews during a 2-day mindfulness conference. The constant comparison method was used to iteratively identify and categorize themes that emerged within and across interviews. Five dominant themes emerged from the data as follows: inherent equitability, accessibility, inclusiveness, awareness and knowledge-sharing, and acknowledgement of multiple perspectives. Having an applicable and meaningful term to use when describing mindfulness as an inclusive and equitable practice can facilitate the exploration of a new area of research. There is a need for future initiatives aimed at making mindfulness trainings and programs more equitable and accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, or abilities/disabilities.
Topics: Disabled Persons; Humans; Mindfulness
PubMed: 35150593
DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22821 -
Journal of Pediatric... 2022Mindfulness is our innate capacity to pay full, conscious, and compassionate attention to something in the moment. It is also a skill that can be strengthened by mental... (Review)
Review
Mindfulness is our innate capacity to pay full, conscious, and compassionate attention to something in the moment. It is also a skill that can be strengthened by mental practice. More recently, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are identified within clinical practice guidelines as an intervention in the treatment of certain symptoms for children with cancer. However, there is little guidance available on the practice of using MBIs in the pediatric oncology population. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of mindfulness, highlights symptoms where mindfulness practices may be of benefit, identifies trauma-sensitive considerations, and provides examples of MBIs that may be considered in the context of pediatric oncology. Collaboration of expert opinion, which included The Mindfulness Project Team, has enabled this collective informative paper. Mindfulness has been recommended to help with the symptom of fatigue in children with cancer. Emotional symptoms such as anxiety, sadness, and anger may also benefit from the use of MBIs. Ideal MBIs for this population may include mindful movement, mindfulness of the senses, mindfulness of breath, mindfulness of emotions, and the body scan. These approaches can easily be adapted according to the age of the child. Many approaches have been administered with minimal training, with very few requiring a facilitator. However, hospitals have started to incorporate mindfulness experts within their care provision. Future research should continue to investigate the use of MBI programs for children with cancer.
Topics: Adolescent; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Child; Emotions; Humans; Mindfulness; Neoplasms
PubMed: 35466780
DOI: 10.1177/27527530211056514 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2023Higher education's expectations place demands on students' attainment, leading them to experience stress and anxiety, which negatively affect their academic improvement...
Higher education's expectations place demands on students' attainment, leading them to experience stress and anxiety, which negatively affect their academic improvement and life satisfaction. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate (a) if mindfulness as an inner ability is related to academic attainment, through dependent variables, including compassion, engagement, stress or anxiety state, depression, self-efficacy, mindfulness's facets (non-reactivity, acting with awareness) and (b) if mindfulness-based interventions positively affect the academic performance of college and university students. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library Wiley were screened to identify studies published relevant to the topic. In total, 568 papers were retrieved in the initial search. Five papers met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review: a randomized controlled trial, a non-randomized controlled trial, a quasi-experimental study, a quantitative exploratory pilot study, and a longitudinal randomized controlled study. Most interventional studies revealed a non-significant direct effect of practicing mindfulness technique on academic attainment. Further research, especially randomized controlled trials are necessary to clarify the effect of mindfulness on academic performance of college and university students.
Topics: Humans; Academic Performance; Depression; Mindfulness; Pilot Projects; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stress, Psychological; Students; Universities
PubMed: 37581795
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-31986-0_20 -
Clinical Psychology Review Jun 2022Acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies have shown efficacy in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Arguably, acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies target... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies have shown efficacy in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Arguably, acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies target core processes in anxiety and depression by increasing mindful attention, decentering, and acceptance. The present study identified randomized controlled trials of acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies for anxiety and depression. Specifically, we aimed to synthesize the indirect effect of the three putative mediators (i.e., mindful attention, decentering, acceptance) on anxiety and depression. Electronic searches yielded 4989 unique records, which were screened for eligibility by two independent raters, resulting in the identification of 33 eligible studies (30 independent trials). The overall pooled mediating effect of mindful attention, decentering, and acceptance was small to medium (r = 0.145, p < .001). Type of mediation analysis emerged as the only statistically significant moderator. Specifically, studies using correlation-based mediation approaches showed statistically significant mediating effects, while studies using causal time-lag analyses did not yield statistically significant mediating effects. Mediator specificity could not be established. In conclusion, putative mediators of acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies mediated treatment effects on anxiety and depression. Limitations in study number, designs, and statistical approaches employed restrict conclusions regarding specificity and causality.
Topics: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Attention; Depression; Humans; Mindfulness
PubMed: 35483275
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102156