scholarly journals Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Increases Mental Wellbeing and Emotion Regulation During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Synchronous Online Intervention Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Sanilevici ◽  
Omer Reuveni ◽  
Shahar Lev-Ari ◽  
Yulia Golland ◽  
Nava Levit-Binnun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed extreme living conditions of social distancing, which triggered negative mental health problems and created challenges in seeking mental health support. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been found to enhance wellbeing and mental health by reducing stress and anxiety and improving emotion regulation. Preliminary evidence suggests that online, synchronous MBIs may produce beneficial effects similar to face-to-face programs. However, the effectiveness of such online-MBIs to support mental health in highly stressful times, such as a global pandemic, requires further study. To this end, we investigated the effect of an online 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on aspects of mental health during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N=92) who expressed interest in discounted online-MBSR programs were recruited for the study. The division into experimental and control groups was based on actual enrollment to the courses. Those who enrolled in a program were assigned to the experimental condition and those who decided not to enroll served as controls. Participants were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month post-intervention for levels of mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, emotion regulation, and intolerance of uncertainty. Differences between the groups were tested using the general linear mixed effects model (GLMM) and Individual Growth Curve Models (IGCM) in intent to treat analysis. The findings indicated that, relative to the control group, MBSR improved mindfulness abilities (p <0.001), decreased anxiety (p <0.001), and stress (p <0.001) and increased emotion regulation (p <0.001). These effects were found to persist 1 month after the end of the program, despite the increased governmental public-health restrictions due to COVID-19 at that time. The ability to tolerate uncertainty, a central characteristic of the pandemic, was not found to be affected by the program. A mediation analysis revealed that the effect of the intervention on mental health improvement was partially mediated by the improvement in emotion regulation. Overall, the findings provide positive evidence for the feasibility of an online-MBSR program to support the mental health of individuals from the general population through the mediation of emotion regulation in challenging times, such as a global pandemic.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) increases mental wellbeing and emotion regulation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a synchronous online intervention study. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Sanilevici ◽  
Omer Reuveni ◽  
Shahar Lev-Ari ◽  
Yulia Golland ◽  
Nava Levit-Binnun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

UNSTRUCTURED The COVID-19 pandemic imposed extreme living conditions of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, which not only triggered negative mental health problems, but also created challenges in seeking mental health support. Consequently, many support services and programs were forced to rapidly shift into online platforms. Mindfulness-based programs have been found to enhance wellbeing and mental health, by reducing stress and anxiety and improving emotion regulation. Preliminary evidence suggests that online, synchronous mindfulness-based programs may produce beneficial effects similar to face-to-face programs. However, the effectiveness of such online mindfulness programs to support mental health in extremely stressful times such as a global pandemic requires more study. To test the effect of an online 8-week mindfulness-based program (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, MBSR) on anxiety and stress levels, and on emotion regulation and tolerance of uncertainty abilities during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals/Participants (N=92) who expressed interest in discounted online-MBSR programs were recruited to the study. Division into experimental and control groups was based on actual enrollment to the courses. Those who decided to enroll to one of the programs were assigned to the experimental condition and those who decided not to enroll served as controls. Participants were assessed pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2) and one-month post-intervention (T3) for levels of mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, emotion regulation and intolerance of uncertainty. The study was conducted in April 2020, at the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 in Israel and ended in July at the beginning of the second wave. The findings indicate that relative to the control group, MBSR improved mindfulness abilities (p=.004), decreased anxiety (p=.021) and stress (p<.001) and increased emotion regulation (p<.001). These effects persisted even a month after the end of the program, although governmental public-health restrictions due to COVID-19 were worsened at that time. Ability to tolerate uncertainty, a central characteristic of the pandemic, was not significantly affected by the program. The interventions effect on mental health improvement was partially mediated by the improvement in emotion regulation (β = 0.24, CI = [0.054, 0.373]) Overall, our findings provide positive evidence for the feasibility of an online-MBSR program to support mental health of individuals from the general population through the mediation of emotion regulation, in challenging times such as a global pandemic.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Therapy and Emotion Regulation Training on the Distress Tolerance of Adolescent Girls with a Drug-Dependent Parent

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahboobeh Najafi Chaleshtori ◽  
Alireza Heidari ◽  
Parviz Asgari ◽  
Zahra Dasht Bozorgi ◽  
Fariba Hafezi
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Distress Tolerance ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽  
Drug Dependent

Background: The undesirable conditions resulting from addiction can be mitigated with timely diagnosis and effective interventions. Distress tolerance can be promoted in adolescents with a drug-dependent parent. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) therapy and emotion regulation training (ERT) on the distress tolerance of adolescent girls with a drug-dependent parent in Ahvaz, Iran. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on the experimental and control groups as the pretest-posttest design with follow-up. The statistical population included all the adolescent girl students with a drug-dependent parent in Ahvaz. The sample consisted of 45 adolescents with a drug-dependent parent selected by cluster sampling. The participants were randomly divided into two experimental groups of MBSR (eight 60-min sessions) and ERT (eight 45-min sessions) and a control group (n = 15 per group). All three groups were followed up after 45 days. The research instrument was the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance. Results: MBSR and ERT enhanced distress tolerance in adolescent girls with a drug-dependent parent (P < 0.001). The effects of the two interventions were not significantly different, and this result persisted in the follow-up stage. Conclusions: MBSR and ERT increased distress tolerance in adolescent girls with a drug-dependent parent. Therefore, these two interventions can be administered to enhance the mental health of adolescents.

scholarly journals Pre-retirement Employees Experience Lasting Improvements in Resilience and Well-Being After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Diachenko ◽  
Kristina K. Smith ◽  
Lone Fjorback ◽  
Niels Viggo Hansen ◽  
Klaus Linkenkaer-Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽  
Mental Well Being

The socio-economic benefits of interventions to prevent stress and related mental health problems are enormous. In the labor market, it is becoming desirable to keep employees for as long as possible. Since aging implies additional stressors such as increased risk of illness, and added pressure by professional tasks such as transferring knowledge, or learning new technologies, it is of particular relevance to offer stress-reduction to pre-retirement employees. Here, we report the effects of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on mental well-being in 60–65-year-old work-active Danish employees, compared to a waiting-list control group. We observed improvements in resilience (Brief Resilience Scale) and mental well-being (WHO-5) not only at the end of the intervention, but also at the 12-month follow-up measurement that was preceded by monthly booster sessions. Interestingly, whereas well-being usually refers to experiences in the past weeks or months, we observed increasing Comfort in the MBSR-intervention group during a 5-minute eyes-closed rest session suggesting that this therapeutic effect of MBSR is measurable in how we feel even during short periods of time. We argue that MBSR is a cost-effective intervention suited for pre-retirement employees to cultivate resilience to prevent stress, feel more comfortable with themselves, maintain a healthy work-life in the last years before retirement, and, potentially, stay in their work-life a few more years than originally planned.

Feasibility of Delivering a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy-Based Resilience Curriculum to Young Mothers by Public Health Nurses

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-329
Author(s):  
Thyna Catamaran ◽  
Calan Savoy ◽  
Haley Layton ◽  
Ellen Lipman ◽  
Khrista Boylan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Public Health Nurses ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Young Mothers ◽  
Building Program

Background: Young mothers have higher rates of mental health problems yet can be difficult to engage in care. Few interventions exist targeting the full range of mental health problems these women face. While transdiagnostic psychotherapies have been utilized in adolescent groups, they have not been tested in young mothers. Objective: Our objective was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a public health nurse-delivered transdiagnostic CBT-based resilience curriculum for young mothers in a supported school setting, and to determine preliminary estimates of the program’s effects. Methods: 56 mothers 21 years of age or younger were recruited from a supported high school program in Canada. Using a pretest/post-test design with no control group, measures of maternal depression, anxiety, emotion regulation, and offspring behaviour were collected immediately before and after the completion of the weekly 10-session intervention. Results: The intervention was feasible and acceptable to young mothers. While few statistically significant changes were noted in the complete sample, for those with moderate-severe depression at baseline, program participation resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in depression, anxiety, and emotion regulation. Conclusion: Provision of a transdiagnostic CBT-based resilience building program delivered by public health nurses in a supported school setting was both feasible and well-tolerated. Given the preliminary nature of this study, its clinical utility is unclear, though it may have benefits for young mothers with more significant mental health problems at baseline.

scholarly journals Attachment-based compassion therapy and adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of depressive, anxious and adjustment disorders in mental health settings: a randomised controlled clinical trial protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e029909
Author(s):  
Jesus Montero-Marin ◽  
Carlos Collado-Navarro ◽  
Mayte Navarro-Gil ◽  
Alba Lopez-Montoyo ◽  
Marcelo Demarzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Adjustment Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Settings ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽  
Group Sessions ◽  
Randomised Controlled

IntroductionDepressive, anxiety and adjustment disorders are highly prevalent among mental health outpatients. The lack of funding for mental health problems produces inefficient results and a high burden of disease. New cost-effective group interventions aimed at treating these symptoms might be an appropriate solution to reduce the healthcare burden in mental health units. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown significant reductions in anxious, depressive and adjustment symptomatology. Recent research highlights the influence of compassion as a key mechanism of change. However, MBIs only address compassion implicitly, whereas compassion-based protocols consider it a core aspect of psychotherapy. In this randomised controlled trial, we hypothesise that the provision of attachment-based compassion therapy (ABCT), which is a compassion-based protocol, will be more effective than mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which is a conventional MBI programme, for the treatment of depressive, anxious and adaptive symptoms in patients in mental health settings.Methods and analysisApproximately 90 patients suffering from depressive, anxious or adjustment disorders recruited from Spanish mental health settings will be randomised to receive 8 weekly 2 hours group sessions of ABCT, 8 weekly 2.5 hours group sessions of adapted MBSR (with no full-day silent retreat) or treatment as usual (TAU), with a 1:1:1 allocation rate. Patients in the ABCT and adapted MBSR groups will also receive TAU. The main outcome will be general affective distress measured by means of the ‘Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21’ at post-test as primary endpoint. Other outcomes will be quality of life, mindfulness, self-compassion and the use of healthcare services. There will be a 6-month follow-up assessment. Intention-to-treat analysis will be conducted using linear mixed models. Per-protocol and secondary outcome analyses will be performed. A data monitoring committee comprising the trial manager, the ABCT and MBSR teachers and an independent clinical psychologist will monitor for possible negative side effects.Ethics and disseminationApproval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the General University Hospital of Castellón, Spain. The results will be submitted to peer-reviewed specialised journals, and brief reports will be sent to participants on request.Trial registration numberNCT03425487

scholarly journals Protocol for the Implementation and Evaluation of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Caregivers of Children with Mental Disorders in a Clinical Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 10777
Author(s):  
Ana Pizarro-Carmona ◽  
Sofía Baena ◽  
Patricia Jiménez ◽  
Lucía Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽  
Structured Program

Being a parent is complicated in typical circumstances, with a great psychological impact as well as feelings and experiences of great intensity. This impact is greater in families in vulnerable situations, such as those with children with mental health problems, receiving treatment in a clinical setting. Due to these challenges, parenting in these circumstances is often accompanied by experiences of stress. An approach that has shown evidence of effectiveness in mitigating the negative impact of stress is mindfulness-based interventions, including the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention program. The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention program is designed as a psychoeducational, instructional, multimodal, and structured program whose main objective is to provide strategies for the management, coping, and awareness of stress in order to reduce it. In this paper, a protocol for the implementation and evaluation of the original Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention program with the added positive parenting component is presented, in order to systematize the incorporation of a parenting component in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention program, analyze its effectiveness for parents whose children have mental health problems (in terms of stress, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, general health, and parental role), explore the mechanisms of change operating in this intervention as perceived by the participants, and examine the application of acquired strategies to daily life.

scholarly journals Coronaphobia in Patients With Fibromyalgia.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevinc Kulekcioglu ◽  
Merve Akyüz ◽  
Özenç İnan ◽  
Alp Çetin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Specific Phobia ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sociodemographic Data ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World

Abstract Background: Throughout the world, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant effect on human health and daily life. Recent data in literature showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health problems. One of these problems, including specific phobia called as “coronaphobia”. The aim of this study was to measure the level of specific phobia created by the COVID-19 pandemic in fibromyalgia (FMS) patients, and to compare this with levels of coronaphobia in patients without FMS.Results: Sixty-one patients participated in the study. Thirty patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia were included in the fibromyalgia group and 31 patients without a diagnosis of fibromyalgia in the control group. The sociodemographic data of all the patients and the presence of chronic disease were determined. All the patients in both groups were instructed to complete the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). The C19PS total score and psychological, psychosomatic, social, and economic subgroups scores were determined to be statistically significantly higher in the FMS group than in the control group (23.2 vs 16.3, 10.9 vs 7.1, 18.4 vs 12.1, and 10.5 vs 6.5 respectively).Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that FMS patients have more concerns in this extraordinary global pandemic situation. Early determination of COVID-19 phobia in individuals predisposed to psychological disorders, such as those with FMS, must be kept in mind in respect of providing timely psychological support and being able to keep the disease under control.

scholarly journals Non-replication of structural brain changes from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Two combined randomized controlled trials

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammi RA Kral ◽  
Kaley Davis ◽  
Cole Korponay ◽  
Matthew J Hirshberg ◽  
Rachel Hoel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Studies purporting to show changes in brain structure following the popular, eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course are widely referenced despite major methodological limitations. Here, we present findings from a large, combined dataset of two, three-arm randomized controlled trials with active and waitlist (WL) control groups. Meditation-naive participants (n=218) completed structural MRI scans during two visits: baseline and post-intervention period. After baseline, participants were randomly assigned to WL (n=70), an 8-week MBSR program (n=75), or a validated, matched active control (n=73). We assessed changes in gray matter volume, gray matter density, and cortical thickness. In the largest and most rigorously controlled study to date, we failed to replicate prior findings and found no evidence that MBSR produced neuroplastic changes compared to either control group, at either the whole-brain level or in regions of interest drawn from prior MBSR studies.

scholarly journals Mediators for Effect of Mindfulness in Promoting Marital Satisfaction: Modeling Structural Equations in an Experimental Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Forouzeh Yekta ◽  
Hamid Yaghoubi ◽  
Soheila Ghomian ◽  
Mohammad Gholami Fesharaki
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Marital Intimacy ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Objective: The present study evaluated the model of mediating variables concerning effectiveness of mindfulness in improving women's marital satisfaction. Method: This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and control groups. The statistical population included every married woman in Tehran in the year 1396 (2017). The research sample was composed of 60 married women with moderate marital satisfaction. They were chosen using the convenient sampling technique and were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group attended 8 sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and the control group was on a waiting list. Both groups answered the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory (IRI), Needs for Intimacy Questionnaire of Bagarozi, Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI) before and at end of intervention. The data were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using PLS-22 and SPSS-23. Results: In the initial hypothetical model, which included the direct effect of mindfulness on marital satisfaction and its indirect effects through psychological distress, emotion regulation, empathy, marital intimacy and positive emotion on marital satisfaction, coefficients of all model paths were significant at 95% level except direct path of mindfulness to marital satisfaction (t = 1.14), marital intimacy to marital satisfaction (t = 0.48) and positive affection to marital satisfaction (t = 1.75). After removing the non-significant paths, the model was tested again and the model fit index (GOF = 0.47) was a very good fit for the modified overall model. Conclusion: The results identified mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention was effective in enhancing marital satisfaction through reducing psychological distress and improving emotion regulation and empathy.

scholarly journals Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction-related changes in posterior cingulate resting brain connectivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 777-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammi R A Kral ◽  
Ted Imhoff-Smith ◽  
Douglas C Dean ◽  
Dan Grupe ◽  
Nagesh Adluru ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Posterior Cingulate ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Abstract Mindfulness meditation training has been shown to increase resting-state functional connectivity between nodes of the frontoparietal executive control network (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]) and the default mode network (posterior cingulate cortex [PCC]). We investigated whether these effects generalized to a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course and tested for structural and behaviorally relevant consequences of change in connectivity. Healthy, meditation-naïve adults were randomized to either MBSR (N = 48), an active (N = 47) or waitlist (N = 45) control group. Participants completed behavioral testing, resting-state fMRI scans and diffusion tensor scans at pre-randomization (T1), post-intervention (T2) and ~5.5 months later (T3). We found increased T2–T1 PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity for MBSR relative to control groups. Although these effects did not persist through long-term follow-up (T3–T1), MBSR participants showed a significantly stronger relationship between days of practice (T1 to T3) and increased PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity than participants in the active control group. Increased PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity in MBSR participants was associated with increased microstructural connectivity of a white matter tract connecting these regions and increased self-reported attention. These data show that MBSR increases PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity, which is related to increased practice time, attention and structural connectivity.

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