An 8-week Virtual Mindfulness Skills Course Gives Stroke Survivors New Tools to Focus on Their Overall Well-Being in a Supportive Community Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 102 (10) ◽  
pp. e88
Author(s):  
Broughton Paige ◽  
Walker Engelhard ◽  
Lloyd Christopher ◽  
Emily Zawadzki ◽  
McGraw Meriden ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 456-457
Author(s):  
Hannah Wolfe ◽  
Derek Isaacowitz

Abstract Self-reported emotional well-being tends to increase with age (Charles & Carstensen, 2007), but evidence for age differences in emotion regulation strategies is mixed (Livingstone & Isaacowitz, 2019), and the strategy of acceptance, in particular, is relatively understudied. Acceptance involves the deliberate decision to not alter a situation or one’s emotional response to it, and older adults report greater use of general acceptance (Shallcross, Ford, Floerke, & Mauss, 2013). Yet, no current scale distinguishes between situational and emotional acceptance; general acceptance is typically measured using a subscale of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS; Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004), which assesses judgments of emotions and thoughts. Therefore, a 6-item measure of situational acceptance was developed and administered to 24 younger adults (age 18-25) and 30 older adults (age 55+) on Amazon Mechanical Turk, along with the KIMS accepting subscale and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003). The situational acceptance scale achieved good reliability (α=.721) and significantly correlated with the MAAS (r= .301, p=.027) and KIMS (r= .466, p<.001). Older adults tended to rate themselves as significantly higher on situational acceptance (M=29.83, SD=5.17) than younger adults (M=25.13, SD=5.72; t=-3.171, p=.003), and this pattern held for the MAAS and KIMS. These results confirm prior work suggesting older adults engage in acceptance more often than younger adults and expand this finding to situational, not just emotional, acceptance. Furthermore, skills related to mindfulness and acceptance appear to greatly overlap and may increase over the lifespan.


2010 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurper Gökhan ◽  
Edward F. Meehan ◽  
Kevin Peters

The value of mindfulness-based methods in an undergraduate field placement was investigated in relation to the acquisition of self-care and other basic clinical competencies. The participants were 22 students in an applied behavioral analysis course, which included a mindfulness-based training module, and 20 students enrolled in an experimental psychology course without mindfulness training. The Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale, the Freiberg Mindfulness Inventory, and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills were used as measurements before and after intervention. Mindfulness-trained participants kept records and were asked to share their personal experiences during supervision and an exit interview. Results demonstrated that training significantly increased mindfulness. Qualitative data indicated enhanced self-care, attention to well-being, self-awareness, active involvement acquiring skills, and empathy and compassion. The need to expand the utility of mindfulness to the realm of education and the importance of including comparison groups with other self-care modules for future studies were discussed.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Jermyn ◽  
Phyllis Montgomery ◽  
Sharolyn Mossey ◽  
Patricia Bailey ◽  
Parveen Nangia ◽  
...  

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Stroke survivors living in the community require regular, ongoing, and coordinated services to prevent deterioration and maximize health outcomes. Published evidence, often conducted in large urban centres, suggests that community reintegration services are an important component of care for stroke survivors. This evidence, however, often does not address the particular challenges inherent in servicing stroke survivors who reside in smaller urban and rural contexts. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the priorities that are needed to support stroke recovery and community reintegration from the perspectives of survivors and service providers living in four geographic districts in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Methods: Using Q methodology, 45 service providers, and 43 stroke survivors and their family caregivers ranked 30 theoretical statement cards. Each card identified a feature specific to stroke recovery, community navigation and community reintegration. These statements were generated through a review of health care literature and qualitative data collected from interviews with stroke survivors. Q analysis of the priority ranked statements involved centroid factor analysis and varimax rotation. Results: The three discrete viewpoints of survivors were Role of Skilled Navigators, Survivors as Co-navigators, and Striving for Well-being. The survivors’ consensus perspective, labelled Quality Service, identified the importance of timeliness and appropriateness of service. The three discrete viewpoints for service providers were Role of Skilled Navigators, Survivor-centered Practices, and Optimizing Survivors’ Resources. The consensus perspective of service providers was labelled Involvement of Family Carers. Findings were consistent across all 4 geographic districts. Conclusion: This research suggests that survivors’ and providers’ conceptualized role of community navigators is focused on building upon the strengths and capacity of survivors through cooperative inquiry with multiple stakeholders. A time-sensitive, appropriate, and family involved service structure supports survivor-centric community reintegration.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003329411989990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Vorontsova-Wenger ◽  
Paolo Ghisletta ◽  
Valentin Ababkov ◽  
Koviljka Barisnikov

It has been shown that a mindfulness construct involving five component skills (observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience) is related to well-being and lessens depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. This study investigates the relationship between mindfulness, academic performance, and psychopathological symptoms in a sample of Swiss university students during preparation for examinations. A total sample of 150 university students from the psychology department at the University of Geneva were invited to report their mindfulness skills and academic performance, as well as anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms, through self-report measures. Results indicated that the total mindfulness score and the nonreactivity facet of mindfulness were associated with depression scores. Furthermore, mindfulness skills were positively correlated with students’ academic performance. Finally, certain demographic variables, such as gender, were linked to the presence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in our sample. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (10) ◽  
pp. e110-e111
Author(s):  
Alexandra Terrill ◽  
Jackie Einerson ◽  
Justin MacKenzie ◽  
Maija Reblin ◽  
Beth Cardell ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esme Fuller-Thomson ◽  
Lisa A. Jensen

Objectives: The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, complete mental health (CMH) among stroke survivors aged 50+ years. Method: Bivariate and logistic regression analyses of nationally representative data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health of 11,157 older adults aged 50+ years (300 stroke survivors). CMH included all of these elements: (a) absence of any past-year mental illness (measured by the World Health Organization version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview [WHO-CIDI] scales), (b) almost daily happiness or satisfaction, and (c) psychological and social well-being. Results: Two thirds of the stroke survivors (68%) were in CMH. Among stroke survivors, the odds of CMH were higher among those with at least one confidant (odds ratio [OR] = 4.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.52, 12.41]), those without disabling chronic pain (OR = 2.34; 95% CI = [1.24, 4.41]), and those without a history of childhood maltreatment (OR = 2.10; 95% CI = [1.09, 4.05]), depression (OR = 3.83; 95% CI = [1.10, 13.37]), or generalized anxiety disorders (OR = 3.42; 95% CI = [1.19, 9.79]). Discussion: These findings provide encouraging information for stroke survivors.


2013 ◽  
Vol 203 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Kuyken ◽  
Katherine Weare ◽  
Obioha C. Ukoumunne ◽  
Rachael Vicary ◽  
Nicola Motton ◽  
...  

BackgroundMindfulness-based approaches for adults are effective at enhancing mental health, but few controlled trials have evaluated their effectiveness among young people.AimsTo assess the acceptability and efficacy of a schools-based universal mindfulness intervention to enhance mental health and well-being.MethodA total of 522 young people aged 12–16 in 12 secondary schools either participated in the Mindfulness in Schools Programme (intervention) or took part in the usual school curriculum (control).ResultsRates of acceptability were high. Relative to the controls, and after adjusting for baseline imbalances, children who participated in the intervention reported fewer depressive symptoms post-treatment (P = 0.004) and at follow-up (P = 0.005) and lower stress (P = 0.05) and greater well-being (P = 0.05) at follow-up. The degree to which students in the intervention group practised the mindfulness skills was associated with better well-being (P<0.001) and less stress (P = 0.03) at 3-month follow-up.ConclusionsThe findings provide promising evidence of the programme's acceptability and efficacy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696821 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Marley ◽  
Bernadette Matthias ◽  
Linda Worrall ◽  
Maya Guest ◽  
Christopher Allan

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of death and disability. Recovery is frequently compromised by reduced well-being, mood, socialisation and quality of life. Music and singing are recognised as enhancing well-being and benefit people with chronic illness. Evidence suggested that choir singing may improve the fluency of people with aphasia. Choirs existed for people with brain impairment; no studies had robust design and outcome measurement.AimTo conduct a pilot study in Newcastle, Australia in a collaboration between Hunter New England Health and the University of Newcastle. To explore the effects of choral singing on quality of life, well-being, mood, social participation and communication skills of community-dwelling stroke survivors including people with aphasia.MethodA mixed methods waitlist control design was used. 39 people at least 6 months post-stroke were assessed before and after a 12-week choir rehearsal period. Carers were invited to participate. Subjects were interviewed at the end of the period.ResultsMeasures of communication improved significantly and a trend to improvement in overall quality of life was seen. Depression and disability were significant in their impact on overall quality of life scores. Qualitative work reported increased quality of life, confidence, independence, mood and socialization and improvements in speech and communication were also reported.ConclusionOur pilot showed that a 12-week choir program for stroke survivors and carers is feasible and benefits quality of life, well-being, mood, community participation and communication in people with aphasia.


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