Increases in External Sensory Observing Cross-Sectionally Mediate the Repair of Positive Affect Following Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Individuals with Residual Depression Symptoms
Mindfulness January 1, 2023 Barnaby D. Dunn, Hanna Wiedemann, Merle Kock et al.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (MBCT-D) appears to repair deficits in positive affect in people with residual depression by training them to attend to external sensory experiences. Secondary analyses of two randomized controlled trials found that increased external sensory observing mediated the superiority of MBCT-D over a waitlist control in one study and over maintenance antidepressants in a second study. The findings suggest that enhancing attention to external sensory input may be a key mechanism through which MBCT-D improves positive affect in this population.