The Contribution of Common and Specific Therapeutic Factors to Mindfulness-Based Intervention Outcomes

While Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been shown to be effective for a range of patient populations and outcomes, a question remains as to the role of common therapeutic factors, as opposed to the specific effects of mindfulness practice, in contributing to patient improvements. This project used a mixed-method design to investigate the contribution of specific (mindfulness practice-related) and common (instructor and group related) therapeutic factors to client improvements within an MBI. Participants with mild-severe depression (N = 104; 73% female, M age = 40.28) participated in an 8-week MBI. Specific therapeutic factors (formal out-of-class meditation minutes and informal mindfulness practice frequency) and social common factors (instructor and group ratings) were entered into multilevel growth curve models to predict changes in depression, anxiety, stress, and mindfulness at six timepoints from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Qualitative interviews with participants provided rich descriptions of how instructor and group related factors played a role in therapeutic trajectories. Findings indicated that instructor ratings predicted changes in depression and stress, group ratings predicted changes in stress and self-reported mindfulness, and formal meditation predicted changes in anxiety and stress, while informal mindfulness practice did not predict client improvements. Social common factors were stronger predictors of improvements in depression, stress, and self-reported mindfulness than specific mindfulness practice-related factors. Qualitative data supported the importance of relationships with instructor and group members, involving bonding, expressing feelings, and instilling hope. Our findings dispel the myth that MBI outcomes are exclusively the result of mindfulness meditation practice, and suggest that social common factors may account for much of the effects of these interventions. Further research on meditation should take into consideration the effects of social context and other common therapeutic factors.

Therapeutic trajectories of children attending a Children Psychosocial Care Center

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the unique therapeutic trajectories of children linked to a Center for Psychosocial Child and Adolescent Care (Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Infantojuvenil, CAPSi). Method: A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research. Data collection was carried out with five school-age children, linked to a Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Care Center (CAPSi), located in the South of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), from April to July 2016, from the consultation to the chart, observation, field journal entries and by the narrative interviews, which were transcribed and submitted to narrative analysis. The narrative interviews mediated by the ludic instrumental called Map of the Five Fields (MFF) allowed for oral expression. Results: Two themes were constructed: “characterization of children participating in the research” and “singular therapeutic trajectories of children”. Conclusion: The therapeutic trajectories made it possible to present the uniqueness of the life of the participants, through the relation established between the child, the territory in which he/she transits and the social context.