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Improve Mental Health in Disadvantaged Populations with Mindfulness

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Improve Mental Health in Disadvantaged Populations with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Mindfulness training could be integrated into educational settings on a city, state, or national level, thus promoting health and mental health. Integrating mindfulness-based practices into educational settings could offer the potential to promote a more positive path for our children, something that would be particularly beneficial for disadvantaged urban youth like the kids in our studies.” –  Tamar Mendelson

 

Disadvantaged populations have a disproportionate share of mental health issues. Indeed, the lower the socioeconomic status of an individual the greater the likelihood of a mental disorder. It is estimated that major mental illnesses are almost 3 times more likely in the disadvantaged, including almost double the incidence of depression, triple the incidence of anxiety disorders, alcohol abuse, and eating disorders. These higher incidences of mental health issues occur, in part, due to mental health problems leading to unemployment and poverty, but also to the stresses of life in poverty.

 

The disadvantaged are much more likely to be uninsured, not have mental health services available, and less likely to seek treatment. In addition, when they are treated it is almost exclusively with drugs. These often do not work, have adverse effects, or are not taken as prescribed and are thus ineffective. Most psychotherapies were developed to treat disorders in affluent populations and are not affordable or sensitive to the unique situations and education levels of the disadvantaged. So, very few disadvantaged people with mental health problems are treated with psychotherapies.

 

Hence, there is a great need for alternative treatments for the mentally ill disadvantaged. One increasingly popular alternative is mind-body practices. These include meditation, tai chi, qigong, yoga, guided imagery, etc. In today’s Research News article “Mind–Body Approaches to Treating Mental Health Symptoms Among Disadvantaged Populations: A Comprehensive Review.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4761814/

Burnett-Zeigler and colleagues review the published research literature on the effectiveness of mind-body practices for the treatment of mental health issues in disadvantaged populations.

 

They found that in general mind-body techniques are feasible, acceptable, and efficacious with disadvantaged populations. The published research reports than Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs produced significant improvements in disadvantaged populations in general health, social functioning, vitality, physical and emotional role functioning, stress, mindfulness, anxiety, self-compassion, life satisfaction, depression, relationships, awareness, self-acceptance, and self-empowerment, nonreactivity, improved self-care, and decreased distress. The research also reports that yoga practice results in significant improvements in distressed mood, depression, emotional well-being, body weight, depression, and disease-specific quality of life. Other mind-body techniques were also reported to have similar benefits.

 

Hence the published research studies are fairly uniform in finding that mind-body practices can be successfully implemented with disadvantaged populations and produce significant mental health benefits. Although much more research is needed, these are exciting findings. Mind-body techniques show tremendous promise for the mental health needs of the disadvantaged. They can be implemented cost-effectively and many of these practices can be employed at home on convenient schedules. Hence mind-body practices, if implemented broadly, may be major contributors to improved mental health in disadvantaged populations. This, in turn, may lead to better employment possibilities and a route out of poverty.

 

So, improve mental health in disadvantaged populations with mindfulness.

 

“Research and experience have shown that meditation-based or contemplative practices have proven to be beneficial with populations that are considered at risk, marginalized, or oppressed and with those who are incarcerated.” – Sadye Logan

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Burnett-Zeigler, I., Schuette, S., Victorson, D., & Wisner, K. L. (2016). Mind–Body Approaches to Treating Mental Health Symptoms Among Disadvantaged Populations: A Comprehensive Review. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 22(2), 115–124. http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2015.0038

 

Abstract

Mind–body approaches are commonly used to treat a variety of chronic health conditions, including depression and anxiety. A substantial proportion of individuals with depression and anxiety disorders do not receive conventional treatment; disadvantaged individuals are especially unlikely to receive treatment. Mind–body approaches offer a potentially more accessible and acceptable alternative to conventional mental health treatment for disadvantaged individuals, who may not otherwise receive mental health treatment. This review examines evidence for the efficacy of mind–body interventions for mental health symptoms among disadvantaged populations. While rates of utilization were relatively lower for racial/ethnic minorities, evidence suggests that significant proportions of racial/ethnic minorities are using complementary health approaches as health treatments, especially prayer/healers and natural or herbal remedies. This review of studies on the efficacy of mind–body interventions among disadvantaged populations found evidence for the efficacy of mind–body approaches for several mental and physical health symptoms, functioning, self-care, and overall quality of life.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4761814/

 

Alleviate General Practitioner Burnout with Mindfulness

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Alleviate General Practitioner Burnout with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Enhancing the already inherent capacity of the physician to experience fully the clinical encounter—not only its pleasant but also its most unpleasant aspects—without judgment but with a sense of curiosity and adventure seems to have had a profound effect on the experience of stress and burnout. It also seems to enhance the physician’s ability to connect with the patient as a unique human being and to center care around that uniqueness.” – Michael Krasner

 

General Practitioners confront stress on a daily basis. Even moderate levels of stress when prolonged, all too frequently results in a professional burnout. This is the fatigue, cynicism, emotional exhaustion, and professional inefficacy that comes with work-related stress. Healthcare is a high stress occupation. It is estimated that over 45% of healthcare workers experience burnout. Currently, over a third of healthcare workers report that they are looking for a new job. Nearly half plan to look for a new job over the next two years and 80% expressed interest in a new position if they came across the right opportunity.

 

Regardless of the reasons for burnout or its immediate presenting consequences, it is a threat to the healthcare providers and their patients. In fact, it is a threat to the entire healthcare system as it contributes to the shortage of doctors and nurses. Hence, preventing existing healthcare workers from burning out has to be a priority. Mindfulness has been demonstrated to be helpful in treating and preventing burnout. One of the premiere techniques for developing mindfulness and dealing effectively with stress is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) pioneered by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is a diverse mindfulness training containing practice in meditation, body scan, and yoga. As a result, there have been a number of trials investigating the application of MBSR to the treatment and prevention of health care worker burnout.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-based stress reduction for GPs: results of a controlled mixed methods pilot study in Dutch primary care.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723221/

Verweij and colleagues investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in preventing burnout in General Practitioners. They recruited General Practitioners who were required to participate in continuing professional education courses and offered as an option participation in an 8-week MBSR program. They compared GPs who selected the MBSR program during one 8-week period to those who selected a waitlist condition and received the usual continuing professional education course. They completed measures both before and after the treatment of burnout, work engagement, and mindfulness.

 

They found, not surprisingly, that compared to the waitlist controls, the MBSR program resulted in higher levels of mindfulness. But, importantly, it also significantly decreased levels of burnout depersonalization and increased levels of work dedication. During interviews after completion of the program The GPs reported that the MBSR program helped them to become more aware of their bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions, of their beliefs and values, and a recognition of the autopilot mode they usually engaged in. They also reported that the MBSR program increased their wellbeing and compassion towards themselves and others, including their patients.

 

The findings from this pilot study are very encouraging. They demonstrate that mindfulness training reduces self-reported burnout, and improves professional dedication, recognition of bodily reactions and how activities have become routinized, and general wellbeing. By improving their awareness of the sensations, thoughts, and actions in the present moment mindfulness training appears to be somewhat an antidote to burnout. This suggests that mindfulness practices should be included in the continuing education of healthcare professionals.

 

So, alleviate general practitioner burnout with mindfulness.

 

“Mindfulness gives doctors permission to attend to their own health and well-being. But is also allows doctors to help patients by listening more, talking less and seeing what the patient needs.” – Mary Breach

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Verweij, H., Waumans, R. C., Smeijers, D., Lucassen, P. L., Donders, A. R. T., van der Horst, H. E., & Speckens, A. E. (2016). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for GPs: results of a controlled mixed methods pilot study in Dutch primary care. The British Journal of General Practice, 66(643), e99–e105. http://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp16X683497

 

Abstract

Background

Burnout is highly prevalent in GPs and can have a negative influence on their wellbeing, performance, and patient care. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may be an effective intervention to decrease burnout symptoms and increase wellbeing.

Aim

To gain insight into the feasibility and effectiveness of MBSR on burnout, empathy, and (work-related) wellbeing in GPs.

Design and setting

A mixed methods pilot study, including a waiting list-controlled pre-/post-study and a qualitative study of the experiences of participating GPs in the Netherlands.

Method

Participants were sent questionnaires assessing burnout, work engagement, empathy, and mindfulness skills, before and at the end of the MBSR training/waiting period. Qualitative data on how GPs experienced the training were collected during a plenary session and with evaluation forms at the end of the course.

Results

Fifty Dutch GPs participated in this study. The MBSR group reported a greater decrease in depersonalisation than the control group (adjusted difference −1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −2.72 to −0.21, P = 0.03). Dedication increased more significantly in the MBSR group than in the control group (adjusted difference 2.17, 95% CI = 0.51 to 3.83, P = 0.01). Mindfulness skills increased significantly in the MBSR group compared with the control group (adjusted difference 6.90, 95% CI = 1.42 to 12.37, P = 0.01). There was no significant change in empathy. The qualitative data indicated that the MBSR course increased their wellbeing and compassion towards themselves and others, including their patients.

Conclusion

The study shows that MBSR for GPs is feasible and might result in fewer burnout symptoms and increased work engagement and wellbeing. However, an adequately powered randomised controlled trial is needed to confirm the study’s findings.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723221/

 

Reduce Youth Dissociative Disorders with Mindfulness

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Reduce Youth Dissociative Disorders with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“It sounds elementary, I know. But that’s the beauty of it. Rather than wasting energy fighting dissociation, we can decrease its severity simply by increasing awareness.” – Holly Gray

 

Sometime during the lives of about 2% of the population, a Dissociative Disorder occurs. It is more likely in women than in men and is most frequently triggered by a traumatic event. Dissociative Disorders involve an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory. These can include significant memory loss of specific times, people and events, out-of-body experiences, such as feeling as though you are watching a movie of yourself, mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide, a sense of detachment from emotions, or emotional numbness, and a lack of a sense of self-identity.

 

There are three kinds of diagnosed Dissociative Disorders, Dissociative Amnesia, Depersonalization disorder, and Dissociative identity disorder (aka multiple personalities). These disorders are thought to be coping mechanisms for intense stress. They are generally treated with drugs, particularly antidepressants, and with psychotherapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Mindfulness training has been found to be effective in treating a myriad of mental and physical disorders and particularly with stress related disorders. It has also been shown to be effective with trauma reactions including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). So, it makes sense to test the effectiveness of mindfulness training in treating Dissociative Disorders.

 

In today’s Research News article “Role of mindfulness in Dissociative Disorders among adolescents.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5100126/

Sharma and colleagues recruited a small sample of adolescents (average age = 13 and 86% female) who were diagnosed with a Dissociative Disorder. They were provided 6 weekly sessions of mindfulness training based upon the Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction (MBSR) program and encouragement to practice at home. The treatment included both sitting and walking meditation, body scan, yoga, and mindful eating practices. They were measured for dissociative experiences and mindfulness, before treatment, 3 weeks into treatment, and immediately after treatment.

 

They found that the treatment produced a significant, 54% decrease in dissociative symptoms and a 25% increase in mindfulness. The increase in mindfulness would be expected, given the extensive literature demonstrating increases in mindfulness produced by MBSR training. The decrease in dissociative symptoms is, to our knowledge, unprecedented. It is reasonable though given the demonstrated ability of mindfulness training to improve present moment awareness and decrease mind wandering. Attending to what is happening in the present moment would tend to counteract tendencies to drift away from reality.

 

These are potentially important results but should be looked upon as a pilot, proof of concept study. There was no control condition and the sample was small and confined to young adolescents, primarily girls. The results, though, provide a strong rationale to implement a large scale randomized controlled clinical trial. This could provide evidence that mindfulness training may be an effective treatment for dissociative disorders.

 

“Having a daily mindfulness practice allows you to reach trauma, implicit memories and a way of integrating your childhood abuse. You start with neutral judgements and work towards emotional charged memories. You can heal much quicker than you believe. It takes daily work strengthening your focus on the breath. It seems mundane to focus on the breath but the breath controls the nervous system and allows us to reach our trauma quickly and decisively.” – Marty

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Sharma, T., Sinha, V. K., & Sayeed, N. (2016). Role of mindfulness in dissociative disorders among adolescents. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 58(3), 326–328. http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.192013

 

Abstract

Context: Dissociation is understood as maladaptive coping and is common in children and adolescents. Treatment outcome studies show improvement in comorbid conditions suggesting the need to implement programs that target dissociative pathology.

Aim: To study the effect of practicing mindfulness among adolescents diagnosed with dissociative disorders.

Settings and Design: It was a hospital-based repeated measures design.

Materials and Methods: 7 adolescents participated in a mindfulness-based therapeutic program for 6 weeks.

Statistical Analysis: Scores were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Friedman test was used to assess significance of the difference in scores at various assessment phases. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for post hoc analysis.

Results: Participants were mostly female adolescents from rural, Eastern India. There was a significant reduction in dissociative experiences and significant improvement in mindfulness.

Conclusions: Incorporating mindfulness in clinical practice may prove effective in reducing dissociation and promoting adaptive functioning.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5100126/

 

Learn Mindfulness On-Line to Reduce Stress Effects

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Learn Mindfulness On-Line to Reduce Stress Effects

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Mindfulness not only reduces stress but also gently builds an inner strength so that future stressors have less impact on our happiness and physical well-being.” –  Shamash Alidina

 

Mindfulness training has been shown through extensive research to be effective in improving the physical and psychological condition of otherwise healthy people and also treating the physical and psychological issues of people with illnesses and particularly with the physical and psychological reactions to stress. Techniques such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) as well as Yoga practice and Tai Chi or Qigong practice have been demonstrated to be particularly effective. This has led to an increasing adoption of these mindfulness techniques for the health and well-being of both healthy and ill individuals.

 

The vast majority of the mindfulness training techniques, adopted so far, however, require a certified trained therapist. This produces costs that many clients can’t afford. In addition, the participants must be available to attend multiple sessions at particular scheduled times that may or may not be compatible with their busy schedules. As a result, there has been attempts to develop on-line mindfulness training programs. These have tremendous advantages in decreasing costs and making training schedules much more flexible. But, the question arises as to whether these programs are as effective as their traditional counterparts. Many believe that the presence of a therapist is a crucial component to the success of the programs and the lack of an active therapist in on-line programs may greatly reduce their effectiveness.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effects of preventive online mindfulness interventions on stress and mindfulness: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5199155/

Jayewardene and colleagues review and perform a meta-analysis of the published research literature investigating the effectiveness of preventive mindfulness interventions delivered exclusively online for reducing stress responses in normal adults. They identified 8 randomized controlled trials with 75% having waitlist control groups and interventions lasting from 2 to 12 weeks. All but one study employed interventions that were modifications of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for completely online implementation. MBSR is composed of meditation, body scan and yoga training.

 

They found that overall the published literature reported significant improvements in mindfulness of small effect size and significant reductions in perceived stress of moderate size. They reported that there was no evidence suggesting publication bias as being responsible for the reported effects. So, the literature supports the assertion that mindfulness training online is effective in reducing perceived stress and increasing mindfulness.

 

These are exciting findings. It is well established that mindfulness training is effective for reducing the physical and psychological reactions to stress and that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs are effective. What is new in this review is establishing that these benefits can be produced with training occurring exclusively online. This is important as it suggests that inexpensive mindfulness training can be offered to widespread audiences. In addition, online training is convenient for the participants, as they do not have to go to a practitioners site on a particular schedule. This, in turn, allows for the application of mindfulness training for the prevention and treatment of psychological and physical disorders with busy people, low income people, and even people in remote locations, thus greatly expanding the numbers of people who can benefit.

 

So, learn mindfulness on-line to reduce stress effects.

 

“A live, in-person Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class is still the best way to learn mindfulness, because it is more likely that you will complete the course, due to the live interaction and group support. But doing an in-person course is not always possible, for financial and logistical reasons. The online course uses precisely the same course curriculum and resources that are used in the local in-person course, and if you follow the suggestions and practices for each of the eight weeks of the course, the learning can be just as deep and profound.” – Dave Potter

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

Jayewardene, W. P., Lohrmann, D. K., Erbe, R. G., & Torabi, M. R. (2017). Effects of preventive online mindfulness interventions on stress and mindfulness: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Preventive Medicine Reports, 5, 150–159. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.11.013

 

Abstract

Empirical evidence suggested that mind-body interventions can be effectively delivered online. This study aimed to examine whether preventive online mindfulness interventions (POMI) for non-clinical populations improve short- and long-term outcomes for perceived-stress (primary) and mindfulness (secondary). Systematic search of four electronic databases, manuscript reference lists, and journal content lists was conducted in 2016, using 21 search-terms. Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating effects of POMI in non-clinical populations with adequately reported perceived-stress and mindfulness measures pre- and post-intervention were included. Random-effects models utilized for all effect-size estimations with meta-regression performed for mean age and %females. Participants were volunteers (adults; predominantly female) from academic, workplace, or community settings. Most interventions utilized simplified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction protocols over 2–12 week periods. Post-intervention, significant medium effect found for perceived-stress (g = 0.432), with moderate heterogeneity and significant, but small, effect size for mindfulness (g = 0.275) with low heterogeneity; highest effects were for middle-aged individuals. At follow-up, significant large effect found for perceived-stress (g = 0.699) with low heterogeneity and significant medium effect (g = 0.466) for mindfulness with high heterogeneity. No publication bias was found for perceived-stress; publication bias found for mindfulness outcomes led to underestimation of effects, not overestimation. Number of eligible RCTs was low with inadequate data reporting in some studies. POMI had substantial stress reduction effects and some mindfulness improvement effects. POMI can be a more convenient and cost-effective strategy, compared to traditional face-to-face interventions, especially in the context of busy, hard-to-reach, but digitally-accessible populations.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5199155/

Reduce Interpersonal Trauma Symptoms with Mindfulness

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Reduce Interpersonal Trauma Symptoms with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“mindfulness meditation training improves your brain’s ability to help you manage stress, and these changes improve a broad range of stress-related health outcomes, such as your inflammatory health,” David Creswell

 

Experiencing trauma is quite common. It has been estimated that 60% of men and 50% of women will experience a significant traumatic event during their lifetime. Trauma produced by one person on another, interpersonal trauma, frequently involves intimate partners and can occur as personal assault, sexual assault, witnessing family violence, and sudden loss of a loved one. This is common particularly with low income women. The psychological consequences can be profound and endure over a lifetime, and can result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

 

Another common consequence of the stress produced by trauma is an increase in inflammation. The immune system is designed to protect the body from threats like stress, infection, injury, and toxic chemicals. One of its tools is the inflammatory response. This response works quite well for short-term infections and injuries. But when inflammation is protracted and becomes chronic, such as can occur with trauma, it can itself become a threat to health. It can produce autoimmune diseases such as colitis, Chron’s disease, arthritis, heart disease, increased cancer risk, lung disease, sleep disruption, gum disease, decreased bone health, and psoriasis. Indeed, the presence of chronic inflammation is associated with reduced longevity. In addition, it can exacerbate the psychological issues produced by trauma including increasing the severity depression.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to both help improve the symptoms of trauma and to reduce the inflammatory response. So, it would be reasonable to predict that mindfulness training would be useful in reducing the inflammation resulting from interpersonal trauma in women. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to Enhance Psychological Functioning and Improve Inflammatory Biomarkers in Trauma-Exposed Women: A Pilot Study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1462456350444953/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624080/

Gallegos and colleagues recruited low-income women who had experienced interpersonal trauma and provided them with an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) treatment. Measurements were taken before, during (4th week), and immediately after treatment, and 4 weeks later of traumatic events, cognitive performance, perceived stress, anxiety, emotion regulation, PTSD symptoms, and mindfulness. In addition, blood was drawn and assayed for markers of inflammation.

 

They found that the MBSR treatment significantly increased mindfulness and emotion regulation and decreased perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. In addition, attendance at MBSR sessions was significantly related to decreases in IL-6 levels, a marker of inflammation. All of these improvements were maintained 4-weeks after the end of MBSR training. Hence Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) produced significant and lasting improvement in both the psychological and inflammatory effects of interpersonal trauma. It should be kept in mind that no control condition was employed. So, the results could have been produced by a placebo effect and any form of treatment might have produced comparable improvements. A controlled clinical trial is needed to confirm that MBSR was responsible for the effects.

 

It comes as no surprise that mindfulness training had these effects in women who experienced interpersonal trauma as mindfulness training has been previously been shown with other groups to produce improvement in mindfulness, emotion regulation, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and inflammation. What the present study contributes is a demonstration that these benefits also occur in women who have experienced interpersonal trauma.

 

So, reduce interpersonal trauma symptoms with mindfulness.

 

“Mindfulness meditation reduces levels of interleukin 6 by altering patterns of functional connectivity: communication between different regions of the brain. “By modulating functional connectivity, you’re affecting the cell groups that influence the release of inflammatory markers and stress hormones,”  –  Adrienne Taren

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Gallegos, A. M., Lytle, M. C., Moynihan, J. A., & Talbot, N. L. (2015). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to Enhance Psychological Functioning and Improve Inflammatory Biomarkers in Trauma-Exposed Women: A Pilot Study. Psychological Trauma : Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 7(6), 525–532. http://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000053

 

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological functioning and inflammatory biomarkers in women with histories of interpersonal trauma. The 8-week MBSR program was conducted at a community-based health center and participants (N = 50) completed several measures of psychological functioning at study entry as well as 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks later. Inflammatory biomarkers were assayed from blood collected at each assessment. A series of linear mixed model analyses were conducted to measure the effect of attendance and time on the dependent variables. Time was associated with significant decreases in perceived stress, depression, trait and state anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and post-traumatic stress symptoms as well as increases in mindfulness. Session attendance was associated with significant decreases in interleukin (IL)-6 levels. This pilot study demonstrated the potential beneficial effects of MBSR on psychological functioning and the inflammatory biomarker IL-6 among trauma-exposed and primarily low-income women. Decreases in inflammation have implications for this population, as interpersonal trauma can instigate chronic physiological dysregulation, heightened morbidity, and premature death. This study’s preliminary results support efforts to investigate biological remediation with behavioral interventions in vulnerable populations.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624080/

 

Improve Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Mindfulness

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Improve Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Dealing with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) isn’t easy, but the stress (and the symptoms) involved may be lessened with mindfulness meditation.” – Andrew Weil

 

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder with worldwide prevalence rates ranging from 9–23%. In the U.S. the rates generally in the area of 10–15% affecting between 25 and 45 million people. IBS is not life threatening but it is very uncomfortable producing changes in bowel movement patterns, bloating and excess gas, and pain in the lower belly. It is also a major source of absenteeism both at work and in school. IBS is also associated with a marked reduction in the individual’s health quality of life, with disruption of the physical, psychological and social routines of the individuals. At present, there are no known cures for IBS and treatments involve symptomatic relief, often with fairly radical dietary changes.

 

It has been shown that meditation and yoga can help relieve IBS symptoms but there is a need for more research, particularly of the long-term effectiveness of mindfulness on the symptoms of IBS. In today’s Research News article “Long Term Effects of Mindfulness on Quality of life in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1457490580941530/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4752522/

Zomorrodi and colleagues recruited adult (average age = 34) participants who had been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They randomly assigned them to either receive treatment as usual or treatment as usual combined with an 8-week, once a week for 2 hours, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. The participants were measured for health quality of life before, and after treatment and were followed-up 2 months later.

 

They found that the MBSR group had a clinically significant (25%) improvement in their health-related quality of life that was sustained at the 2-month follow-up whereas the treatment as usual group showed no improvement. Hence mindfulness training improves the physical, psychological and social impact of IBS on the lives of the patients. These results are important as they show a sustained, relatively long-term improvement produced by MBSR treatment.  Many studies only report improvements measured immediately after treatment. A treatment that is effective only as long as it is being actively administered is of limited usefulness, while one that lasts well beyond the actual time of treatment is much more valuable.

 

It is not known exactly how mindfulness training improve the health-related quality of life in IBS patients. It can be speculated, however, that the training, by focusing the patient on the present moment reduces the worry and catastrophizing about the future that usually accompanies disease. This would allow the patient to focus only on their current physical state and not amplify the symptoms with worry. In addition, mindfulness training is known to reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress. Stress is well known to exacerbate disease states. So, stress reduction would tend to improve the symptoms of IBS and improve the health-related quality of life.

 

So, improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with mindfulness.

 

“compared to the control group, participants in the mindfulness training group improved on IBS-related quality of life and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety, depression, and general functioning.” – Mindful

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Zomorrodi, S., Rasoulzadeh Tabatabaie, S. K., Azadfallah, P., Ebrahimidaryani, N., & Arbabi, M. (2015). Long Term Effects of Mindfulness on Quality of life in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 10(2), 100–105.

 

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of mindfulness-based therapy on improving life quality of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Method: This was an experimental study including 24 patients (12 from each group) with IBS syndrome were selected based on the ROMEIII criteria and were randomly placed in the test and control groups. In both groups, the scales of the IBS-QOL34 Questionnaire were applied as assessment tool. Experiment group was subjected to the MFT (mindfulness-based therapy), while the control group received no intervention. After the two-month follow up, both groups were once again evaluated through the IBS-QOL34 scales.

Results: There is not significant difference between trial and control group in starting of the study in demographic and quality of life status. The findings of covariance analysis revealed that the difference between the experiment and the control groups at follow-up was significant (p = 0.01). The results showed that the MFT has long-term effects on the life quality of patients suffering from IBS.

Conclusion: The MFT could be considered as a new, effective and stable method in psychotherapy, particularly in psychosomatic disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4752522/

 

Improve Neural Regulation of Negative Emotions with Mindfulness

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Improve Neural Regulation of Negative Emotions with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Meditation might help depression, stress and anxiety but it’s not a ‘positive thinking’ tool that pretends everything is fine when it isn’t. It’s a way of being able to be with things as they are, in pain or in grief. It’s a way of being able to experience those inevitable parts of life, without your brain running away with its thoughts and making things worse, or pushing them away and resisting them.  It’s a way of being happy when we are happy, and to be fully present with our happiness, without holding onto that feeling too tightly because we fear the alternative.  And that’s where true peace lives.” – Ruth Rosselson

 

We’re very emotional creatures. Without emotion, life is flat and uninteresting. They are so important to us that they affect mostly everything that we do and say and can even be determinants of life or death. Anger, fear, and hate can lead to murderous consequences. Anxiety and depression can lead to suicide. At the same time love, joy, and happiness can make life worth living. Our emotions also affect us physically with positive emotions associated with health, well-being, and longevity and negative emotions associated with stress, disease, and shorter life spans.

 

There is a prevalent popular notion that to effectively deal with negative emotions such as grief and sadness, they have to be fully expressed and experienced. This is in general true as repression of powerful emotions can have long-term negative consequences. But, overexpressing emotions such that they become a focus of worry and rumination also has negative consequences. So, the key to dealing with powerful negative emotions is the middle way, to allow their expression, but then letting them go and moving on. A method to enhance this middle way is mindfulness. It has been shown to improve emotion regulation. People either spontaneously high in mindfulness or trained in mindfulness are better able to be completely in touch with their emotions and feel them completely, while being able to respond to them more appropriately and adaptively. In other words, mindful people are better able to experience yet control emotions. The ability of mindfulness training to improve emotion regulation is thought to be the basis for a wide variety of benefits that mindfulness provides to mental health.

 

Mindfulness appears to act on emotions by producing relatively permanent changes to the nervous system, increasing the activity, size, and connectivity of some structures while decreasing it for others in a process known as neuroplasticity. So, mindfulness practice appears to affect emotion regulation by producing neuroplastic changes to the structures of the nervous system that underlie emotion. In today’s Research News article “Minding One’s Emotions: Mindfulness Training Alters the Neural Expression of Sadness.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1456402104383711/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5017873/

Farb and colleagues investigate the nervous system’s response to a negative emotion, sadness, in people trained in mindfulness. They recruited participants and randomly assigned them to either receive an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or to a wait-list control group. Before and after training the participants were measured for anxiety, depression, and symptoms of psychopathology. Following training the participants had sadness induced by having them watch 3-min film clips from sad vs. neutral movies. They watched the movies while their brains were scanned with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (f-MRI).

 

They found that MBSR produced significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and in symptoms of psychopathology that were not apparent in the wait-list control group. Watching the sad movie clips, the sadness induction, produced a significant increase in sadness and in the activity in the brain structures associated with the Default Mode Network (DMN) that normally gets activated by self-reflective and ruminating thinking. Significantly, they found that the group who received MBSR training had a significantly lower neural response in the DMN to the sadness induction. This occurred in spite of the fact that the sadness induction produced equivalent increases in sadness in both groups. At the same time, the MBSR group showed a greater activation of the visceral and somatosensory areas of the cortex.

 

These findings suggest that mindfulness training improves mental health by altering the neural response to negative emotional states, in this case sadness. The fact that the responses of the visceral and somatosensory areas were heightened in the mindfulness trained participants suggests that they felt the emotional state more deeply. At the same time, the reduced activation of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in the mindfulness trained participants suggests that sadness produced less self-reflection, worry, and rumination. This suggests that the brain better regulates the response to the emotions after mindfulness training. Hence the finding suggest that mindfulness training improves the brain’s emotion regulation processes and thereby reduces anxiety, depression and the symptoms of psychopathology.

 

So, improve neural regulation of negative emotions with mindfulness.

 

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it – always.”- Mahatma Gandhi

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Farb, N. A. S., Anderson, A. K., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., & Segal, Z. V. (2010). Minding One’s Emotions: Mindfulness Training Alters the Neural Expression of Sadness. Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 10(1), 25–33. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0017151

 

Abstract

Recovery from emotional challenge and increased tolerance of negative affect are both hallmarks of mental health. Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to facilitate these outcomes, yet little is known about its mechanisms of action. The present study employed functional MRI (fMRI) to compare neural reactivity to sadness provocation in participants completing 8 weeks of MT and waitlisted controls. Sadness resulted in widespread recruitment of regions associated with self-referential processes along the cortical midline. Despite equivalent self-reported sadness, MT participants demonstrated a distinct neural response, with greater right-lateralized recruitment, including visceral and somatosensory areas associated with body sensation. The greater somatic recruitment observed in the MT group during evoked sadness was associated with decreased depression scores. Restoring balance between affective and sensory neural networks—supporting conceptual and body based representations of emotion— could be one path through which mindfulness reduces vulnerability to dysphoric reactivity.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5017873/

 

Lower Stress and Improve Mood with Cancer with Mindfulness

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Through Mindfulness, you can embrace that staying positive in the face of cancer includes recognizing and validating all the feelings you are experiencing, negative ones included.” – Richard Dicken

 

Over half of the people diagnosed with cancer are still alive 10 years later and this number is rapidly improving. It is estimated that 15 million adults and children with a history of cancer are alive in the United States today. But, surviving cancer carries with it a number of problems. “Physical, emotional, and financial hardships often persist for years after diagnosis and treatment. Cancer survivors are also at greater risk for developing second cancers and other health conditions.” National Cancer Survivors Day. Unfortunately, most of these residual problems go untreated. Psychologically, cancer survivors frequently suffer from anxiety, depression, mood disturbance, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sleep disturbance, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, loss of personal control, impaired quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms which have been found to persist even ten years after remission.

 

So, coping with the emotions and stress of cancer is a challenge and there are no simple treatments for these psychological sequelae of surviving cancer. Mindfulness training, however, may be helpful. It has been shown to improve recovery from cancer and to reduce anxiety and depression in people with a wide variety of conditions. One form of mindfulness training, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was specifically designed to help people cope with stress and emotions. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Cancer Care: A Systematic Review.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1410585555632033/?type=3&theater

or see summary below: Rush and Sharma reviewed the published research literature on the effectiveness of MBSR for the treatment of stress and negative mood in cancer patients (13 articles). They found that the majority of studies indicate that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is significantly effective in improving mood and reducing stress in cancer patients.

 

Hence, the published research literature indicates that MBSR is a safe and effective treatment for the psychological issues consequent upon cancer diagnosis and treatment. MBSR contains a number of components including meditation, yoga, and body scan. The literature does not isolate which components or which combination of components are necessary for MBSR’s effectiveness. The literature also does not identify what changes produced by this practice underlie its reduction in stress responses and improves mood. But, it can be speculated that the focus on the present moment is crucial. Ruminations about the past and worries about the future can by themselves impair mood and increase stress in cancer patients. So, it is possible that the focus on present moment awareness in MBSR is the crucial process, allowing the patients to focus on their present problems without amplifying them through worry and rumination. These are important questions for future research.

 

MBSR reduces both the physiological and psychological responses to stress. Since stress can exacerbate all of the symptoms of cancer treatment and can reduce the body’s ability to cope with the disease, improvement in the stress response is extremely important to enduring and recovering from cancer and its treatment. In addition, a positive mood can help the individual relax and cope with the difficulties of cancer treatment. So, the reduction in stress and the improvement in mood produced by MBSR likely improves the prognosis for cancer patients and may lead to a greater likelihood of remission and even survival.

 

So, lower stress and improve mood with cancer with mindfulness.

 

“meditation can help to relieve particular symptoms and improve quality of life for people with cancer. Research has shown that it can improve your mood, improve your ability to concentrate, reduce severe depression and anxiety, and boost the immune system.” – Cancer Research UK
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Rush SE, Sharma M. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Cancer Care: A Systematic Review. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Aug 3. pii: 2156587216661467. [Epub ahead of print]

 

Abstract

Cancer is acknowledged as a source of stress for many individuals, often leading to suffering, which can be long-lasting. Mindfulness-based stress reduction offers an effective way of reducing stress among cancer patients by combining mindfulness meditation and yoga in an 8-week training program. The purpose of this study was to inspect studies from October 2009 to November 2015 and examine whether mindfulness-based stress reduction can be utilized as a viable method for managing stress among cancer patients. A systematic search from Medline, CINAHL, and Alt HealthWatch databases was conducted for quantitative articles involving mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions targeting cancer patients. A total of 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these 13 studies, 9 demonstrated positive changes in either psychological or physiological outcomes related to anxiety and/or stress, with 4 describing mixed results. Despite the limitations, mindfulness-based stress reduction appears to be promising for stress management among cancer patients.

 

Chill Cardiac Patients with Mindfulness

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“For people with cardiovascular disease, meditation provides a technique for reducing stress and focusing on things they can do to be healthier. Meditation is a way of allowing you to come to balance in your life. It can also help you to sleep better, which is a very important restorative part of physical health.” – Richard Stein

 

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack.” (Centers for Disease Control). A myriad of treatments has been developed for heart disease including a variety of surgical procedures and medications. In addition, lifestyle changes have proved to be effective including quitting smoking, weight reduction, improved diet, physical activity, and reducing stresses. Stress reduction is a key lifestyle change in treating heart conditions as stress can lead to increased physiological arousal including increased blood pressure that can exacerbate the patient’s condition

 

Contemplative practices, such as meditation, tai chi, and yoga, have also been shown to be helpful for heart health. In addition, mindfulness practices have also been shown to be helpful for producing the kinds of other lifestyle changes needed such as smoking cessation and weight reduction. They are particularly helpful for stress reduction, decreasing the psychological and physiological responses to stress. So, it would make sense to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness practices in the treatment of cardiac patients.

 

In today’s Research News article “The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on cardiac patients’ blood pressure, perceived stress, and anger: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1389925544364701/?type=3&theater

or see summary below. Momeni and colleagues recruited cardiac patients who were also hypertensive and randomly assigned them to either receive an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or to a wait list control condition. The MBSR program included mindful body scan, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and yoga. All of the patients were also receiving antihypertensive medications. They were measured both before and after treatment for blood pressure, perceived stress, and state and trait anxiety.

 

They found that MBSR training resulted in a significant decrease (12%) in systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure, a 45% decrease in perceived stress, a 47% decrease in state anxiety, and a 31% decrease in trait anxiety. Thus, MBSR training was highly effective in reducing blood pressure, stress, and anxiety levels in cardiac patients. The magnitude of the effects large and clinically significant. Hence, they found that MBSR training was a safe and effective treatment for improving the physical and psychological conditions of cardiac patients. This is very important as it may be life saving.

 

So, chill cardiac patients with mindfulness.

 

“People who are more mindful tend to have more awareness of where their mind and bodies are at. By increasing our awareness, we might become more aware of the impact of what we are doing on ourselves.” – Eric Loucks

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Momeni J, Omidi A, Raygan F, Akbari H. The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on cardiac patients’ blood pressure, perceived stress, and anger: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2016 Aug 4. pii: S1933-1711(16)30448-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jash.2016.07.007.

 

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on cardiac patients’ blood pressure (BP), perceived stress, and anger. In total, 60 cardiac patients were recruited between April and June 2015 from a specialized private cardiac clinic located in Kashan, Iran. Patients were allocated to the intervention and control groups. Patients in the experimental group received MBSR in eight 2.5-hour sessions, while patients in the control group received no psychological therapy. The main outcomes were BP, perceived stress, and anger. Analysis of covariance revealed a significant difference between the study groups regarding the posttest values of systolic BP, perceived stress, and anger (P < .001). However, the study groups did not differ significantly in terms of diastolic BP (P = .061; P = .17). This study reveals that MBSR is effective in reducing cardiac patients’ systolic BP, perceived stress, and anger.

 

 

Reduce Depression with Mindfulness and Spirituality

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“If you have unproductive worries you can train yourself to experience those thoughts completely differently. You might think ‘I’m late, I might lose my job if I don’t get there on time, and it will be a disaster!’ Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, ‘Oh, there’s that thought again. I’ve been here before. But it’s just that—a thought, and not a part of my core self,’” – Elizabeth Hoge.

 

Clinically diagnosed depression is the most common form of mental illness, affecting over 6% of the population. It is difficult to treat and is generally treated with antidepressant medications. But, drugs often have troubling side effects and can lose effectiveness over time. In addition, many patients who achieve remission have relapses and recurrences. Hence, it is important to develop alternatives to drug treatment to help relieve the misery of depression.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective for depression alone or in combination with drug therapy. A commonly used form of mindfulness training Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been found to be effective for a myriad of physical and psychological problems including depression. MBSR contains meditation, yoga, and body scan. These are ancient practices that were used primarily as spiritual practices. MBSR, however, was developed as a secular practice, divorced from its spiritual roots, to help improve physical and mental health. It is possible that MBSR, even as a secular practice, has spiritual consequences and these may, in turn, affect depression. Indeed, spirituality has been shown to be associated with reduced depression.

 

In today’s Research News article “Decreased Symptoms of Depression After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Potential Moderating Effects of Religiosity, Spirituality, Trait Mindfulness, Sex, and Age.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1386882204669035/?type=3&theateror see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4365440/

Greeson and colleagues investigate whether the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for depression might be mediated by increased spirituality. They recruited MBSR participants and had them complete measures, both before and after training of mindfulness, anxiety, depression, spirituality, and religiosity.

 

They found, as have numerous other studies, that MBSR training resulted in a clinically significant (25%) decrease in depression scores. Additionally, they found that the greater the increases in mindfulness and in spirituality the greater the decreases in depression. A sophisticated statistical mediation modelling technique was applied to these data and revealed that the effectiveness of MBSR in reducing depression occurred as a result of the increased mindfulness and spirituality produced by MBSR. Hence, they found that MBSR reduces depression by increasing mindfulness and spirituality.

 

These are interesting results that suggest that even though MBSR was developed as a secular practice, divorced from its spiritual roots, it still produces increased spirituality. They further suggest that these increases in spirituality are as influential as the increases in mindfulness in reducing depression. This suggests that perhaps MBSR may be even more effective for depression if its spiritual aspects were reinserted into the program. It will take future research to test this speculation.

 

So, reduce depression with mindfulness and spirituality.

 

“Mindfulness helps to train individuals in bringing back the attention time and time again when it has wandered. And it is precisely through helping individuals to not get carried away by their thoughts that mindfulness has been shown to be so effective for conditions like anxiety and depression.” – Carolyn Gregoire

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Greeson, J. M., Smoski, M. J., Suarez, E. C., Brantley, J. G., Ekblad, A. G., Lynch, T. R., & Wolever, R. Q. (2015). Decreased Symptoms of Depression After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Potential Moderating Effects of Religiosity, Spirituality, Trait Mindfulness, Sex, and Age. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21(3), 166–174. http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.0285

 

Abstract

Objective: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a secular meditation training program that reduces depressive symptoms. Little is known, however, about the degree to which a participant’s spiritual and religious background, or other demographic characteristics associated with risk for depression, may affect the effectiveness of MBSR. Therefore, this study tested whether individual differences in religiosity, spirituality, motivation for spiritual growth, trait mindfulness, sex, and age affect MBSR effectiveness.

Methods: As part of an open trial, multiple regression was used to analyze variation in depressive symptom outcomes among 322 adults who enrolled in an 8-week, community-based MBSR program.

Results: As hypothesized, depressive symptom severity decreased significantly in the full study sample (d=0.57; p<0.01). After adjustment for baseline symptom severity, moderation analyses revealed no significant differences in the change in depressive symptoms following MBSR as a function of spirituality, religiosity, trait mindfulness, or demographic variables. Paired t tests found consistent, statistically significant (p<0.01) reductions in depressive symptoms across all subgroups by religious affiliation, intention for spiritual growth, sex, and baseline symptom severity. After adjustment for baseline symptom scores, age, sex, and religious affiliation, a significant proportion of variance in post-MBSR depressive symptoms was uniquely explained by changes in both spirituality (β=−0.15; p=0.006) and mindfulness (β=−0.17; p<0.001).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that MBSR, a secular meditation training program, is associated with improved depressive symptoms regardless of affiliation with a religion, sense of spirituality, trait level of mindfulness before MBSR training, sex, or age. Increases in both mindfulness and daily spiritual experiences uniquely explained improvement in depressive symptoms.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4365440/