Mindfulness

Improve Psychological Well-Being of Elementary School Children with Mindfulness

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Improve Psychological Well-Being of Elementary School Children with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“engaging in mindfulness meditation cultivates our ability to both focus and broaden our attention, which is a practical way to elicit psychological well-being.” – Jennifer Wolkin

 

Childhood is a miraculous period during which the child is dynamically absorbing information from every aspect of its environment. This is particularly evident during the elementary school years. Mindfulness training in school has been shown to have very positive effects. These include improvements in the cognitive, psychological, emotional and social domains. It is important to teach skills that improve well-being early in life. This can affect individuals throughout their lives. So, there is a need to further study the ability of mindfulness training to improve the well-being of elementary school students.

 

In today’s Research News article “Randomized Trial on the Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention on Temperament, Anxiety, and Depression: A Multi-Arm Psychometric Study.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8945710/ ) Poli and colleagues recruited 5th grade students. They were measured before and after either 8 weeks of mindfulness training or no treatment for anxiety depression, and temperament.

 

They found that mindfulness training reduced anxiety levels and inhibition to novelty and increased attention, social orientation, positive emotionality. These results suggest that mindfulness training improves the psychological well-being of elementary school children.

 

Mindfulness improves the well-being of kids.

 

“mental wellbeing does not mean being happy all the time and it does not mean you won’t experience negative or painful emotions, such as grief, loss, or failure, which are a part of normal life. However, whatever your age, mindfulness can help you lead a mentally healthier life and improve your wellbeing.” – Mental Health Foundation

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Poli, A., Maremmani, A., Gemignani, A., & Miccoli, M. (2022). Randomized Trial on the Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention on Temperament, Anxiety, and Depression: A Multi-Arm Psychometric Study. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 12(3), 74. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12030074

 

Abstract

Mindfulness is a mental state that can be achieved through meditation. So far, studies have shown that practicing mindfulness on a consistent and regular basis can improve attentional functions and emotional well-being. Mindfulness has recently begun to be used in the field of child development. The goal of this study is to assess if a mindfulness program may help primary school students in reducing anxiety and depression while also improving their temperamental characteristics. This multi-arm pre-post study included 41 subjects recruited in the fifth year of two primary school classes. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group, but not the control group, underwent an eight-week mindfulness training. Every week, the program included 60-min group sessions. QUIT (Italian Questionnaires of Temperament) and TAD (Test for Anxiety and Depression in Childhood and Adolescence) were used to assess temperament, and anxiety and depression, respectively. Both groups were administered both instruments before and after mindfulness intervention. The mindfulness program lowered anxiety levels and was effective in changing temperament dimensions: there was an increase in social orientation (SO), positive emotionality (PE), and attention (AT), as well as a decrease in inhibition to novelty (IN) and negative emotionality. Path analysis revealed that AT may promote the improvement of both SO and IN. Similarly, PE may be promoted by the decrease of IN. Clinical implications are discussed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8945710/

 

Mindful People are Resilient, Unstressed, Happy People

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Mindful People are Resilient, Unstressed, Happy People

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“practicing mindfulness may make us happier only if we learn to tolerate, make space for, and accept whatever experiences arise, rather than judging them, letting them define us, or running away from them.” – Melanie Greenberg

 

“Meditation leads to concentration, concentration leads to understanding, and understanding leads to happiness” – This wonderful quote from the modern day sage Thich Nhat Hahn is a beautiful pithy description of the benefits of mindfulness practice. Mindfulness allows us to view our experience and not judge it, not put labels on it, not make assumptions about it, not relate it to past experiences, and not project it into the future. Rather mindfulness lets us experience everything around and within us exactly as it is arising and falling away from moment to moment. There is a need to investigate the mechanisms by which mindfulness increases happiness.

 

In today’s Research News article “Resilience and Stress as Mediators in the Relationship of Mindfulness and Happiness.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8850270/ ) Bajaj and colleagues had students from an Indian University complete measure of mindfulness, stress, resilience, and happiness.

 

They found that the higher the students levels of mindfulness, the greater their happiness and resilience and the lower their levels of stress. Mindfulness was associated with higher levels of happiness directly and also indirectly by being associated with higher levels of resilience which in turn were associated with higher happiness and also with lower levels of stress that were also in turn associated with greater happiness.

 

Hence, mindful students are happier, more resilient, and less stressed students all of which contribute to their happiness. Be mindful and be happy.

 

“we’re happiest when we are mindful of the moment, and we’re least happy when the mind is wandering.” – Melli O’Brian

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Bajaj, B., Khoury, B., & Sengupta, S. (2022). Resilience and Stress as Mediators in the Relationship of Mindfulness and Happiness. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 771263. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.771263

 

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the mediation effects of resilience and stress, two perceived opposite constructs, in the relationship between mindfulness and happiness. Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales short version-21 were administered to 523 undergraduate university students in India. Structural Equation Modeling with bootstrapping was applied to test the mediating effects of resilience and stress. Results showed that resilience and stress partially mediated the mindfulness-happiness relationship. In addition, resilience partially mediated the relationship of mindfulness to stress. Findings suggest that mindfulness may play an influential role in enhancing happiness through the mediating effects of resilience and stress.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8850270/

 

Meditation is an Effective Treatment for a Variety of Medical Conditions

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Meditation is an Effective Treatment for a Variety of Medical Conditions

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Mindfulness is not a cure-all. . . . There have been thousands of studies showing that there are psychological and physical benefits to mindfulness meditation, but the intention . . . is not to cure the disease or fully treat the symptoms, but to treat the whole person — and that includes their mental and emotional well-being — so they can live in greater health and joy.” – Men’s Health

 

Over the last several decades, research and anecdotal experiences have accumulated an impressive evidential case that meditation has positive benefits for the individual’s mental, physical, and spiritual life. Meditation appears to be beneficial both for healthy people and for people suffering from a myriad of mental and physical illnesses. It appears to be beneficial across ages, from children to the elderly. And it appears to be beneficial across genders, personalities, race, and ethnicity. The breadth and depth of benefits is unprecedented. There is no other treatment or practice that has been shown to come anyway near the range of mindfulness’ positive benefits.

 

Over the last few decades, a vast amount of research has been published on the benefits of meditation on the mental and physical health of the practitioners. So, it makes sense to step back and summarize what has been learned.

 

In today’s Research News article “Systematic Review for the Medical Applications of Meditation in Randomized Controlled Trials.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8834867/ ) Kim and colleagues review and summarize the 104 published randomized controlled trials on the benefits of meditation practices on mental and physical well-being.

 

They report that the published research found that different studies report varying results but the most common significant benefits of meditation practice were improvements in fatigue, sleep quality, quality of life, stress, PTSD symptoms, blood pressure, intraocular pressure, and depression. In general yoga-based practices produced slightly better results than mindfulness based techniques,

 

Hence, meditation practices have been found to help improve mental and physical well-being.

 

“meditation can improve mental health and reduce symptoms associated with chronic conditions.” – Ashley Welch

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Kim, D. Y., Hong, S. H., Jang, S. H., Park, S. H., Noh, J. H., Seok, J. M., Jo, H. J., Son, C. G., & Lee, E. J. (2022). Systematic Review for the Medical Applications of Meditation in Randomized Controlled Trials. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3), 1244. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031244

 

Abstract

Background: Meditation has been increasingly adapted for healthy populations and participants with diseases. Its beneficial effects are still challenging to determine due to the heterogeneity and methodological obstacles regarding medical applications. This study aimed to integrate the features of therapeutic meditation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: We conducted a systematic review of RCTs with meditation for populations with diseases using the PubMed database through June 2021. We analyzed the characteristics of the diseases/disorders, participants, measurements, and their overall benefits. Results: Among a total of 4855 references, 104 RCTs were determined and mainly applied mindfulness-based (51 RCTs), yoga-based (32 RCTs), and transcendental meditation (14 RCTs) to 10,139 patient-participants. These RCTs were conducted for participants with a total of 45 kinds of disorders; the most frequent being cancer, followed by musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases and affective mood disorder. Seven symptoms or signs were frequently assessed: depressive mood, feeling anxious, quality of life, stress, sleep, pain, and fatigue. The RCTs showed a higher ratio of positive outcomes for sleep (73.9%) and fatigue (68.4%). Conclusions: This systematic review produced the comprehensive features of RCTs for therapeutic meditation. These results will help physicians and researchers further study clinical adaptations in the future as reference data.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8834867/

 

Meditation Increases a Biological Marker that Protects Against Age-Related Decline

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Meditation Increases a Biological Marker that Protects Against Age-Related Decline

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“meditation may have salutary effects on telomere length by reducing cognitive stress and stress arousal and increasing positive states of mind and hormonal factors that may promote telomere maintenance.” – Elissa Epel

 

One of the most exciting findings in molecular biology in recent years was the discovery of the telomere. This is a component of the DNA molecule that is attached to the ends of the strands. Recent genetic research has suggested that the telomere and its regulation is the biological mechanism that produces aging. As we age the tail of the DNA molecule called the telomere shortens. When it gets very short cells have a more and more difficult time reproducing and become more likely to produce defective cells. On a cellular basis, this is what produces aging. As we get older the new cells produced are more and more likely to be defective. The shortening of the telomere occurs each time the cell is replaced. So, slowly as we age it gets shorter and shorter.

 

Fortunately, there is a mechanism to protect the telomere. There is an enzyme in the body called telomerase that helps to prevent shortening of the telomere. It also promotes cell survival and enhances stress-resistance.  Research suggests that processes that increase telomerase activity tend to slow the aging process by protecting the telomere.  One activity that seems to increase telomerase activity and protect telomere length is mindfulness practice. Hence, engaging in mindfulness practices may protect the telomere and thereby slow the aging process.

 

In today’s Research News article “Impact of Meditation-Based Lifestyle Practices on Mindfulness, Wellbeing, and Plasma Telomerase Levels: A Case-Control Study.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.846085/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1827462_a0P58000000G0YfEAK_Psycho_20220308_arts_A&utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Article+Alerts+V4.1-Frontiers&utm_term=%%%3d++++++REDIRECTTO(+++++CONCAT(%27http%3a%2f%2fjournal.frontiersin.org%2farticle%2f%27%2c+TreatAsContent(field(%40article%2c+%27DOI__c%27))%2c+%27%2ffull%3futm_source%3dF-AAE%26utm_medium%3dEMLF%26utm_campaign%3dMRK_%27%2c+TreatAsContent(JobID)%2c+%27_%27%2c+TreatAsContent(%40FieldId)%2c+%27_%27%2c+TreatAsContent(Substring(Replace(Field(%40field%2c+%27Name%27)%2c+%27+%27%2c+%27%27)%2c+0%2c+6))%2c ) Dasanayaka  and colleagues examine the telomerase activity in long-term meditators in comparison to matched control participants.

 

They report that the long-term meditators have significantly higher levels of telomerase in their bloodstream, mindfulness, and quality of life. They also found that the higher the levels of mindfulness the higher the levels of telomerase.

 

These findings support the contention that meditation can help protect against the physical and mental deterioration that occurs with aging by increasing the levels of telomerase thereby protecting the telomere.

 

“Meditation also helps to protect our telomeres, the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes. Telomeres are longest when we’re young and naturally shorten as we age. Shorter telomeres are associated with stress and higher risk for many diseases including cancer, and depend on the telomerase enzyme to enable them to rebuild and repair.” – Paula Watkins

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Dasanayaka NN, Sirisena ND and Samaranayake N (2022) Impact of Meditation-Based Lifestyle Practices on Mindfulness, Wellbeing, and Plasma Telomerase Levels: A Case-Control Study. Front. Psychol. 13:846085. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.846085

 

Meditation involves psychophysical training which can result in a range of benefits including creating a calm mind and increasing self-awareness, relaxation, and tranquility. Increasing evidence, mostly based on short-term focused interventions, suggests that meditation-based activities may also have favorable effects on physical wellbeing including cellular aging. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate if continued practice of meditation benefited quality of life, state of mindfulness, and plasma telomerase level in healthy adults. 30 long-term and skilled meditators were recruited from meditation centers in different parts of the island following a two-tier screening process of 70 eligible participants and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy non-meditators were recruited from the community. Mindfulness level and the quality of life were measured using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and Quality of Life Questionnaire, respectively, while the levels of plasma telomerase enzyme were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Skilled meditators had a better mindfulness level (p < 0.001) and quality of life (QOL; p < 0.001) than those in the comparison group. Similarly, higher plasma telomerase levels were observed in skilled meditators compared to non-meditators (p = 0.002). Trait mindfulness level and plasma telomerase level showed a significant relationship with the duration of meditation practice (p = 0.046 and p = 0.011, respectively). Regression analysis indicated that trait mindfulness level (p < 0.001) significantly predicts the plasma telomerase level. The findings of this comparative study add to the evidence on sustained benefits of meditation on wellbeing and healthy aging and supports incorporating meditation-based activities into lifestyle practices.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.846085/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1827462_a0P58000000G0YfEAK_Psycho_20220308_arts_A&utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Article+Alerts+V4.1-Frontiers&utm_term=%%%3d++++++REDIRECTTO(+++++CONCAT(%27http%3a%2f%2fjournal.frontiersin.org%2farticle%2f%27%2c+TreatAsContent(field(%40article%2c+%27DOI__c%27))%2c+%27%2ffull%3futm_source%3dF-AAE%26utm_medium%3dEMLF%26utm_campaign%3dMRK_%27%2c+TreatAsContent(JobID)%2c+%27_%27%2c+TreatAsContent(%40FieldId)%2c+%27_%27%2c+TreatAsContent(Substring(Replace(Field(%40field%2c+%27Name%27)%2c+%27+%27%2c+%27%27)%2c+0%2c+6))%2c

 

Reduce the Association of Anxiety with Psychological Well-Being During Stress with Mindfulness

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Reduce the Association of Anxiety with Psychological Well-Being During Stress with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“in medical students. . . mindfulness meditation may be used to elicit positive emotions, minimize negative affect and rumination, and enable effective emotion regulation.” –  Michael Minichiello

 

In the modern world education is a key for success. There is a lot of pressure on medical students to excel. This stress might in fact be counterproductive as the increased pressure can lead to stress and anxiety which can impede the student’s physical and mental health, well-being, and performance in medical school. It is, for the most part, beyond the ability of the individual to change the environment to reduce stress, so it is important that methods be found to reduce the students’ responses to stress; to make them more resilient when high levels of stress occur.

 

Contemplative practices including meditation, mindfulness training, and yoga practice have been shown to reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress. Indeed, these practices have been found to reduce stress and improve psychological health in students. So, it would seem important to examine the relationship of mindfulness with the psychological well-being of medical students during high pressure periods.

 

In today’s Research News article “Specific mindfulness traits protect against negative effects of trait anxiety on medical student wellbeing during high-pressure periods.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8338863/ ) Fino and colleagues recruited second year students in medical school and had them complete measures at the beginning and end an academic semester of mindfulness, anxiety, perceived stress, psychosomatic symptoms, and sleep quality.

 

They found that over the course of the semester there were significant increases in perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms. In general, the well-being of female students was significantly poorer than that of male students. Mediation analysis revealed that the higher the levels of anxiety at the beginning of the semester the higher the levels of perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms at the end of the semester. But these relationships were tempered by mindfulness such that the higher the levels of mindfulness the smaller the association between levels of anxiety at the beginning of the semester the higher the levels of perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms at the end of the semester. This was particularly true for the nonjudging of inner experience facet of mindfulness and to a lesser extent the acting with awareness facet.

 

These results suggest that over the course of an academic semester in medical school there is a deterioration in the psychological well-being of the students. This is not surprising as the exams at the end of the semester are very stressful. This deterioration is exacerbated by the overall anxiety levels of the students. Again, this is not surprising as anxious students would be expected to react more strongly to the pressures at the end of the semester. What is new is that mindfulness tends to mitigate this effect of anxiety. The more mindful students had less of a deterioration in their well-being resulting from their anxiety level.

 

Previous research has demonstrated that mindfulness reduces perceived stress, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms. So, the mitigating effect of mindfulness was not surprising. But it is interesting that the greatest mitigation was found for the nonjudging of inner experience facet of mindfulness. In other word, accepting the feelings of anxiety as they are, mitigates its impact on psychological well-being. Conversely, judging these feelings multiples their effects on well-being. So, accepting, without judgement, that one is anxious, make that anxiety less impactful on one’s well-being.

 

So, reduce the association of anxiety with psychological well-being during stress with mindfulness.

 

“[Mindfulness] training for medical students was associated with increased measures of psychological well-being and self-compassion, as well as improvements in stress, psychological distress and mood.” – Emma Polle

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Fino, E., Martoni, M., & Russo, P. M. (2021). Specific mindfulness traits protect against negative effects of trait anxiety on medical student wellbeing during high-pressure periods. Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice, 26(3), 1095–1111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-021-10039-w

 

Abstract

Medical education is highly demanding and evidence shows that medical students are three times more susceptible to deteriorating physical and mental health than the average college student. While trait anxiety may further increase such risk, little is known about the role of trait mindfulness in mitigating these effects. Here we examine the protective role of specific mindfulness facets as mediators in pathways from trait anxiety to perceived stress, psychosomatic burden and sleep-wake quality in medical students, across repeated measurements throughout the first trimester of the school year. Preclinical medical students enrolled in the second year of the Medical School of University of Bologna completed self-report questionnaires examining personality traits as well as physical and psychological wellbeing. Data unibo were collected at the beginning (Time 1: N = 349) and the end of the first trimester (Time 2: N = 305). As students approached the end of the trimester and upcoming exams, reported levels of perceived stress, psychosomatic problems and difficulties in wakefulness increased significantly compared to the beginning of the trimester. Mediation results showed that trait anxiety predicted such outcomes whereas the protective role of mindfulness facets in mitigating these effects was significant only at Time 2. Specific facets of Nonjudging of inner experience and Acting with awareness proved to be the most effective mediators. Findings highlight that the beneficial role of mindfulness facets in mitigating negative consequences of trait anxiety on medical student wellbeing is revealed in high-pressure periods and when self-regulation is needed the most. Cultivating awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of one’s inner experiences is a crucial self-regulation resource that can help medical students sustain their wellbeing as they learn and throughout their high-pressure education and professional careers.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8338863/

 

Reduce Aggression in Law Enforcement Officers with Mindfulness

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Reduce Aggression in Law Enforcement Officers with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are exposed to significant stressors, elevating their risk for aggression and excessive use of force, as well as mental health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout, alcohol misuse, depression, and suicide. Mindfulness training is a promising approach with high-stress populations that has been shown effective for increasing resilience and improving negative mental health outcomes common among LEOs.” – Michael Christopher

 

Policing is a very stressful occupation. Stress in police can result from role conflicts between serving the public, enforcing the law, and upholding ethical standards and personal responsibilities as spouse, parent, and friend. Stress also results from, threats to health and safety, boredom, responsibility for protecting the lives of others, continual exposure to people in pain or distress, the need to control emotions even when provoked, the presence of a gun, even during off-duty hours, and the fragmented nature of police work, with only rare opportunities to follow cases to conclusion or even to obtain feedback or follow-up information.

 

This stress can have serious consequences for the individual and in turn for society. Police officers have one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, possibly the highest. They have a high divorce rate, about second in the nation. They are problem drinkers about twice as often as the general population. This is a major problem as stress and the resultant complications can impact job performance, which sometimes involve life or death situations. It can also lead to increased aggressiveness. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve the physiological and psychological responses to stress. So, it is likely that mindfulness training with police can help them cope with the stress, improve their psychological well-being, and reduce aggressiveness.

 

In today’s Research News article “Differential impact of mindfulness practices on aggression among law enforcement officers.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8274577/ ) Ribeiro and colleagues recruited meditation naïve law enforcement officers and randomly assigned them to a wait-list control condition or to receive 8 weekly 2-hour sessions of Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) including body scan, sitting and walking meditations, mindful movement, and group discussion along with home practice. They were measured before and after practice for meditation practice and aggression, including physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility.

 

They found that adherence to home practice was sporadic, with participants practicing at home on average for 14 days of the 56 days available. Nevertheless, they found that in comparison to baseline and the wait-list control condition, Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) produced a significant decrease in the levels of aggression. They also found that the higher the frequency of home meditation practices, the greater the total duration of home practice, and the greater the number of days practiced at home the lower the levels of aggression. This was true for all of the meditation practices.

 

These are interesting results that suggest that mindfulness practices reduce aggression in law enforcement officers even when practice is sporadic. Even though home practice was low, the amounts of that practice predicted the levels of reduction in aggression, the more home practice, the lower the aggression. But there were no follow-up measurements to ascertain if the effects are lasting and there was no collection of on-the-job aggression to ascertain if this reduction of aggression obtained with paper and pencil measures translates to the real world of policing. Hence, the results must be interpreted cautiously. More intensive research in the future is called for as reducing aggression in law enforcement officers would probably make them more effective and reduce burnout.

 

So, reduce aggression in law enforcement officers with mindfulness.

 

“an 8-week mindfulness intervention for police officers led to self-reported improvements in distress, mental health, and sleep, and a lower [cortisol awakening response].” – Daniel W. Grupe

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Ribeiro, L., Colgan, D. D., Hoke, C. K., Hunsinger, M., Bowen, S., Oken, B. S., & Christopher, M. S. (2020). Differential impact of mindfulness practices on aggression among law enforcement officers. Mindfulness, 11(3), 734–745. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01289-2

 

Abstract

Objectives:

Home-based mindfulness practice is a common component of formal mindfulness training (MT) protocols. Obtaining objective data from home-based mindfulness practice is challenging. Interpreting associations between home-based mindfulness practice and clinically impactful outcomes is complicated given the variability in recommendations in length, frequency, and type of practice. In this exploratory study, adherence to home-based practices of Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) was studied in order to evaluate associations with clinical outcomes.

Methods:

Home practices from 24 (92% male, non-Hispanic white, aged M = 43.20 years) law enforcement officers (LEOs) from the urban Pacific Northwest enrolled in a feasibility and efficacy trial of MBRT were studied using an objective tracking device and self-report data. Outcomes included adherence to home-based mindfulness practices and self-reported aggression.

Results:

Participants completed 59.12% of the frequency amount of practice assigned in the MBRT curriculum. Frequency of practice was associated with decreased aggression, adjusted R2 = .41, F(3,23) = 6.14, p = .004. Duration of practice also predicted decreased aggression, adjusted R2 = .33, F(3,23) = 4.76, p = .011.

Conclusions:

Home-based MBRT practices for LEOs, even at low rates of adherence, may reduce aggression. MTs may show beneficial effects for other populations presented with challenges to engage in regular MT practices.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8274577/

Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness is Associated with Better Emotions and Their Regulation in Nursing Students

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Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness is Associated with Better Emotions and Their Regulation in Nursing Students

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Mindfulness enables you to become a more cognizant observer of your experience, allowing you to become more “tuned in” to what you are feeling inside.” –  Laura K. Schenck

 

Mindfulness practice has been shown to improve emotion regulation. Practitioners demonstrate the ability to fully sense and experience emotions but respond to them in more appropriate and adaptive ways. In other words, mindful people are better able to experience yet control their responses to emotions. This is a very important consequence of mindfulness. Humans are very emotional creatures, and these emotions can be very pleasant, providing the spice of life. But when they get extreme, they can produce misery and even mental illness. 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 and the treatment of mental illness especially depression and anxiety disorders.

 

Mindfulness can be divided into two different aspects. Meditation mindfulness emphasizes focusing on what is occurring right now without judgement. On the other hand, socio-cognitive mindfulness emphasizes openness to external stimuli allowing for flexible interactions with the environment.  It would be expected that socio-cognitive mindfulness with its flexibility in interpreting external events in particular would underlie improvements in emotion regulation.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mediating Effects of Emotion Regulation between Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness and Achievement Emotions in Nursing Students.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8464977/ ) Lee and Jang recruited healthy college nursing students and had them complete questionnaires measuring reappraisal and suppression emotion regulation, positive and negative achievement emotions, and socio-cognitive mindfulness, including novelty seeking, novelty producing, flexibility, and engagement.

 

They found that the higher the levels of all components of socio-cognitive mindfulness the higher the levels of emotion reappraisal and positive achievement emotions and the lower the levels of negative achievement emotions. Linear structural modelling revealed that all components of socio-cognitive mindfulness were significantly positively related to positive achievement emotions directly and also indirectly by having a positive relationship with emotion reappraisal that in turn was associated with higher levels of positive achievement emotions. In addition, all components of socio-cognitive mindfulness were significantly negatively related to negative achievement emotions directly while only the engagement component also was associated indirectly by having a negative relationship with emotion suppression that in turn was associated with lower levels of negative achievement emotions.

 

These results are correlational and as such causation cannot be concluded. But previous controlled research has demonstrated that mindfulness training improves emotions and their regulation. So, the present findings likely resulted from mindfulness producing improved achievement emotions.

 

An interesting facet of the current study is that it focused on socio-cognitive mindfulness which promotes a flexible approach to the environment. This flexibility is seen in the reappraisal of emotions to better reflect reality and in turn making emotions less extreme both positively and negatively. This would predict that the students would be better able to cope with the stresses of their education and future nursing careers. This suggests that mindfulness training should be included in nursing education.

 

So, socio-cognitive mindfulness is associated with better emotions and their regulation in nursing students.

 

“With [mindfulness meditation] training or practice . . . we become more able to allow disturbing emotions and thoughts to pass through awareness. We develop the ability to NOT act or react to every emotion or thought we have.” – Timothy A Pychy

 

 

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

 

Lee, M., & Jang, K. S. (2021). Mediating Effects of Emotion Regulation between Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness and Achievement Emotions in Nursing Students. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 9(9), 1238. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9091238

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness is known as an effective emotion regulation strategy and is beneficial for improving emotions. While meditative mindfulness has been widely studied, socio-cognitive mindfulness has received little attention in nursing literature, despite its potential benefits to the field. This study investigated relationships between nursing students’ socio-cognitive mindfulness, emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression), and achievement emotions, and explored the mediating effects of emotion regulation. Methods: A total of 459 nursing students from three universities in Korea completed the questionnaire measuring the study variables. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses. Results: Socio-cognitive mindfulness was found to positively influence reappraisal while negatively influencing suppression. Additionally, socio-cognitive mindfulness positively predicted positive achievement emotions but negatively predicted negative emotions. Reappraisal positively influenced positive emotions, whereas suppression positively influenced negative emotions. Furthermore, reappraisal mediated the link between mindfulness and positive emotions, and suppression mediated the link between mindfulness and negative emotions. Conclusions: Socio-cognitive mindfulness may be effective in regulating emotions among nursing students by enhancing reappraisal and reducing suppression. Mediating effects highlight the relevance of students’ emotion regulation in nursing education, suggesting the need to develop emotion regulation education programs.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8464977/

 

Improve Food Related Cognitive Processing in Patients with Eating Disorders with Mindfulness

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Improve Food Related Cognitive Processing in Patients with Eating Disorders with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Practicing mindfulness techniques has proven to be extremely helpful in aiding individuals to understand the driving forces behind their eating disorder.” – Greta Gleissner

 

Around 30 million people in the United States of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder: either anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating disorder. 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 26. Eating disorders are not just troubling psychological problems, they can be deadly, having the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Two example of eating disorders are binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN). BED involves eating a large amount of food within a short time-period while experiencing a sense of loss of control over eating. BN involves binge-eating and purging (e.g., self-induced vomiting, compensatory exercise).

 

Eating disorders can be difficult to treat because eating is necessary and cannot be simply stopped as in smoking cessation or abstaining from drugs or alcohol. One must learn to eat appropriately not stop. So, it is important to find methods that can help prevent and treat eating disorders. Contemplative practices, mindfulness, and mindful eating have shown promise for treating eating disorders. It is not known however, what processes are affected by mindfulness training to improve eating disorders.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy added to usual care improves eating behaviors in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder by decreasing the cognitive load of words related to body shape, weight, and food.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8668447/ ) Sala and colleagues recruited adult participants who were diagnosed with either bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. They were on a wait-list for 8 weeks and then received weekly 2-hour sessions over 8 weeks of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).  MBCT involves mindfulness training, containing sitting and walking meditation and body scan, and cognitive therapy to alter how the patient relates to the thought processes that often underlie and exacerbate psychological symptoms. They were measured before and after therapy for mindfulness, eating behaviors, anxiety, and depression. In addition, the participants were presented cards printed in various colors with either neutral words or food related words and asked to name the color of the word as quickly as possible.

 

After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) there were significant improvements in mindfulness, anxiety, depression and eating behaviors, including nonreactivity, cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger. In addition, the reaction times to food-related words was significantly shorter after MBCT. Path analysis revealed that MBCT affected eating behavior indirectly by altering the responses to the food-related words.

 

These results are interesting, but the study lacked a comparison (control) condition limiting the strength of the conclusions. But previous controlled research has demonstrated that mindfulness training improves eating disorders. So, the present results are likely due to the effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and not to potential confounding variables.

 

The present study, though, has an interesting new finding. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) appears to affect the cognitive processing involved with eating. This includes nonreactivity, cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger. These changes predict more healthful eating behavior and a reduction in disordered eating. In addition, MBCT affected these cognitive processes only indirectly by altering responses to food-related cues (words). This suggests that MBCT improves eating disorders by changing the thought processes in response to food cues. In other words, mindfulness improves eating disorders by altering how the individual processes information related to food. This interesting finding needs further research.

 

So, improve food related cognitive processing in patients with eating disorders with mindfulness.

 

“increasing mindful awareness of internal experiences and automatic patterns could be effective for the improvement of self-acceptance and emotional regulation, thereby reducing the problematic eating behaviors.” – Jinyue Yu

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Sala, L., Gorwood, P., Vindreau, C., & Duriez, P. (2021). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy added to usual care improves eating behaviors in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder by decreasing the cognitive load of words related to body shape, weight, and food. European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 64(1), e67. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2242

 

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as a complementary approach in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED), and to assess how the reduction of the cognitive load of words related to eating disorders (ED) could constitute an intermediate factor explaining its global efficacy.

Methods

Eighty-eight women and men participated in clinical assessments upon inscription, prior to and following 8-week group MBCT. Mindfulness skills were assessed using the five facet mindfulness questionnaire; eating behaviors were assessed using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ); comorbid pathologies were assessed using the beck depression index and the state-trait anxiety inventory. The cognitive load of words associated with ED was assessed through a modified version of the Stroop color naming task.

Results

Mindfulness skills improved significantly (p < .05) after group MBCT. The improvement of TFEQ scores was accompanied by reduced levels of depressive mood and trait anxiety. The positive impact of MBCT on TFEQ score was directly related to an improvement of the performance in the Stroop task.

Conclusions

MBCT represents an interesting complementary therapy for patients with either BN or BED, at least when cognitive and behavioral domains are concerned. Such efficacy seems to be mediated by the reduction of the cognitive load associated with ED stimuli, which offers a possible explanation of how MBCT could reduce binge-eating behaviors. Other studies are needed, in independent centers, to focus more directly on core symptoms and long-term outcome.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8668447/

 

Improve Preschool Teacher Job Satisfaction with Mindfulness

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Improve Preschool Teacher Job Satisfaction with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Teachers who engage in mindfulness-based practices have been shown to have lower cortisol levels and to be more responsive and compassionate towards their students, less emotionally reactive, and more intentional in their teaching practices.” – Meghan Robles

 

Stress is epidemic in the workplace with almost two thirds of workers reporting high levels of stress at work. This often produces burnout; fatigue, cynicism, emotional exhaustion, and professional inefficacy. In a school setting, this burnout and exhaustion not only affects teachers and administrators personally, but also the students and schools, as it produces a loss of enthusiasm, empathy, and compassion. If stress doesn’t produce burnout, it at least can produce lowered psychological well-being and job satisfaction and impair teaching performance.

 

Hence, there is a need to identify methods of reducing stress and improve teachers’ psychological health. Mindfulness has been demonstrated to be helpful in reducing the psychological and physiological responses to stress and for treating and preventing burnout in a number of work environments. But the relationship of mindfulness on preschool teacher’s job satisfaction has not been explored.

 

In today’s Research News article “Can Trait Mindfulness Improve Job Satisfaction? The Relationship Between Trait Mindfulness and Job Satisfaction of Preschool Teachers: The Sequential Mediating Effect of Basic Psychological Needs and Positive Emotions.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.788035/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1796285_a0P58000000G0YfEAK_Psycho_20211223_arts_A ) Song and colleagues recruited kindergarten teachers and had them complete an online survey measuring mindfulness, positive emotions, job satisfaction, and basic psychological needs, including capacity needs, relationship needs, and autonomy needs.

 

They found that the higher the teacher’s level of mindfulness the higher the levels of basic psychological needs, positive emotions, and job satisfaction and the higher the level of positive emotions the higher the levels of basic psychological needs and job satisfaction. Modelling analysis revealed that mindfulness was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction directly and also indirectly by being associated with higher levels of basic psychological needs and positive emotions that were in turn associated with higher levels of job satisfaction.

 

These findings are correlational and as such causation cannot be determined. But previous controlled studies have demonstrated that mindfulness training increases positive emotions, job satisfaction, and basic psychological needs. So, the present findings are probably due to causative effects of mindfulness. This suggests that mindfulness is an important determinant of the psychological well-being of kindergarten teachers leading to satisfaction with their work. This should decrease the likelihood of burnout and improve teaching performance. This further suggests that mindfulness training would be of great benefit for preschool teachers.

.

So, improve preschool teacher job satisfaction with mindfulness.

 

“Mindfulness can also help us to be more effective at reducing conflict and developing more positive ways of relating in the classroom, which can help us feel more job satisfaction.” – Patricia Jennings

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Song Z, Pan B and Wang Y (2021) Can Trait Mindfulness Improve Job Satisfaction? The Relationship Between Trait Mindfulness and Job Satisfaction of Preschool Teachers: The Sequential Mediating Effect of Basic Psychological Needs and Positive Emotions. Front. Psychol. 12:788035. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.788035

 

Objective: This study aims to explore the relationship between basic psychological needs and positive emotions of preschool teachers between trait mindfulness and job satisfaction.

Methods: Three hundred and ninety-eight preschool teachers were tested with mindfulness attention awareness scale, basic psychological needs scale, positive emotion scale, and job satisfaction scale.

Results: Preschool teachers trait mindfulness can predict job satisfaction (β = 0.265, p < 0. 001). Preschool teachers trait mindfulness has an indirect impact on job satisfaction through basic psychological needs (β = 0.059, p = 0.002), and preschool teachers trait mindfulness has an indirect impact on job satisfaction through positive emotions (β = 0.123, p < 0. 001). In addition, basic psychological needs and positive emotions play a sequential intermediary role between preschool teachers trait mindfulness and job satisfaction (β = 0.017, p < 0. 001).

Conclusion: Basic psychological needs and positive emotions play a sequential mediating role between preschool teachers trait mindfulness and job satisfaction, and this sequential mediating effect accounts for a high proportion of the total effect.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.788035/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1796285_a0P58000000G0YfEAK_Psycho_20211223_arts_A

Mindfulness Reduces Smartphone Addiction

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Mindfulness Reduces Smartphone Addiction

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“As a culture, we are slowly beginning to devalue wellness and prioritize productivity at the expense of our health. This creates an unhealthy reliance on digital devices.” – Alfred James

 

Over the last few decades, the internet has gone from a rare curiosity to the dominant mode of electronic communications. In fact, it has become a dominant force in daily life, occupying large amounts of time and attention. The dominant mode of accessing the internet is through smartphones creating smartphone addictions. Individuals with smartphone addiction develop greater levels of “tolerance” and experience “withdrawal” and distress when deprived. This phenomenon is so new that there is little understanding of its nature, causes, and consequences and how to treat it.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to be helpful with addictions, decreasing cravings, impulsiveness, and psychological and physiological responses to stress, and increasing emotion regulation.  Mindfulness has also been shown to be effective for the treatment of a variety of addictions. Hence, there is a need to further explore how mindfulness affects smartphone addiction in adolescents.

 

In today’s Research News article “Preference for Solitude and Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress and Moderating Role of Mindfulness.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750511/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1796285_a0P58000000G0YfEAK_Psycho_20211223_arts_A ) Chen and colleagues recruited university students and had them complete a questionnaire measuring preference for solitude, psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and perceived stress, mindfulness, mobile phone use, and mobile phone addiction.

 

They found that the higher the levels of mindfulness the lower the levels of preference for solitude, psychological distress, mobile phone addiction, and time spent per day on the mobile phone. On the other hand, the higher the preference for solitude the higher the levels of psychological distress. time spent per day on the mobile phone, and mobile phone addiction. Modelling analysis revealed that preference for solitude was associated with higher mobile phone addiction directly and indirectly by being associated with higher psychological distress that was in turn associated with greater mobile phone addiction. But this indirect association was only significant for students who were low in mindfulness. For students high in mindfulness the indirect association was not significant.

 

These results are correlative and as such causation cannot be determined. For example, reference for solitude may result from psychological distress and mobile phone addiction rather than the other way around. Regardless the importance of mindfulness is apparent. It is associated with lower levels of preference for solitude, psychological distress, mobile phone addiction. These associations are probably causal as previous controlled research has demonstrated that mindfulness training reduces preference for solitude, psychological distress, and mobile phone addiction. In addition, mindfulness may also disrupt mobile phone addiction by countering the relationship between preference for solitude and mobile phone addiction.

 

These results underscore the importance of mindfulness for the psychological health and well-being of university students. Indeed, mindfulness has been repeatedly shown in prior research to improve psychological well-being. The present study reveals another way that mindfulness may have these benefits by reducing the association of preference for solitude and mobile phone addiction. Mobile phone addiction can be problematic for the well-being and academic performance of university students and mindfulness may help to reduce the addiction and allow for better academic performance.

 

So, mindfulness reduces smartphone addiction.

 

“mindfulness training is beneficial to improve the ability of self-control and reduce rumination levels, thereby inhibiting the negative impact of smartphone addiction on college students.” – Shi-Shi Cheng

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Chen W-Y, Yan L, Yuan Y-R, Zhu X-W, Zhang Y-H and Lian S-L (2021) Preference for Solitude and Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress and Moderating Role of Mindfulness. Front. Psychol. 12:750511. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750511

 

Background: With the increasing incidence of mobile phone addiction, the potential risk factors of mobile phone addiction have attracted more and more researchers’ attention. Although various personality trait factors have been proven to be significant predictors of mobile phone addiction, limited attention has been paid to preference for solitude. Considering the adverse impacts of preference for solitude in the context of collectivistic societies and its possible negative effect on mobile phone addiction, this study was designed to examine the relationship between preference for solitude and mobile phone addiction, and to test the mediating role of psychological distress and the moderating role of mindfulness in this relationship.

Methods: Data were collected through convenience sampling from a comprehensive university in China. A total of 927 Chinese college students (371 males and 556 females), aged from 16 to 24 (Mage = 19.89 years, SD = 1.22), participated in this study. Their preference for solitude, psychological distress, mindfulness, and mobile phone addiction were measured using well-validated self-report questionnaires.

Results: Correlational analyses, sobel test, SPSS macro PROCESS (Model 8) and simple slopes analyses were used for major data analysis. Results showed that preference for solitude was significantly and positively associated with mobile phone addiction, and this link could be mediated by psychological distress. Moreover, the indirect effect of psychological distress in this link was moderated by mindfulness, with this effect being stronger for college students with lower levels of mindfulness. However, mindfulness can not moderate the direct relation between preference for solitude and mobile phone addiction.

Conclusion: The present study broadened our knowledge of how and when (or for whom) preference for solitude is related to mobile phone addiction. Education professionals and parents should pay special attention to the psychological distress and mobile phone addiction of college students with high levels of preference for solitude, particularly for those with lower levels of mindfulness.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750511/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1796285_a0P58000000G0YfEAK_Psycho_20211223_arts_A