Trait mindfulness, particularly the non-judging facet, protects against anxiety and pregnancy-specific distress during pregnancy and after childbirth. In a longitudinal study of pregnant women assessed at 12, 22, and 32 weeks gestation and 6 weeks postpartum, mindfulness facets measured at 22 weeks were negatively linked to general anxiety at all later time points and to pregnancy-specific distress at 22 and 32 weeks. Non-judging showed the largest protective effect, surpassing partner involvement and other known risk factors. Mindfulness training emphasizing attitudinal aspects may benefit pregnant women at risk for high anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation is often claimed to reduce egoic functioning, but empirical evidence is mixed. Three studies examined these associations: a cross-sectional survey of 796 people, an experiment with 84 students who practiced mindfulness meditation, and an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with 165 participants. In the cross-sectional study, most mindfulness facets were positively or not significantly associated with egoic functioning facets. The experiment found that mindfulness meditation lowered self-enhancement of positive traits. In the MBSR intervention, some egoic aspects decreased (e.g., demanding control) while others increased (e.g., refusal to comply), and these changes correlated with shifts in self-reported mindfulness and well-being. Aspects of egoic functioning relate differently to mindfulness and respond differently to brief versus longer interventions.