Muhammad Abid Azam

Mind-wandering in chronic pain and control participants during a smartphone-based mindfulness task

Muhammad Abid Azam, Vered Latman, Joel Katz

During a 12-minute smartphone-based mindfulness meditation task, people with chronic pain reported significantly more frequent awareness of pain, thoughts about pain, and thoughts about unpleasant bodily sensations than those without chronic pain. The two groups did not differ in awareness of pleasant bodily sensations. Pain-related mind-wandering during mindful breathing may serve as a useful marker of progress in meditation-based pain management programs.

DOI: 10.7490/f1000research.1116273.1 (opens in new tab)

Development of the mind-wandering inventory to assess people with clinically significant depression, anxiety, and chronic pain after mindfulness practice

Muhammad Abid Azam, Vered Latman, Joel Katz

A new Mind-Wandering Inventory was developed and psychometrically validated for clinical assessment and treatment evaluation within mindfulness-based interventions. The authors note that existing mind-wandering scales assess trait-level experiences, but no clinically-focused scale exists for measuring mind-wandering during mindfulness practices. Early mindfulness training is often challenging for individuals with mood, anxiety, and pain conditions, and qualitative research shows participants gradually learn to become self-aware of mind-wandering content. The inventory aims to provide a progress marker for improving the design and evaluation of mindfulness interventions.

DOI: 10.7490/f1000research.1116452.1 (opens in new tab)