Skip to content

Willem Kuyken

42 papers in the library · 3,882 citations · publishing 2009-2026

Papers

Sort Most recent Most cited

Changes in hierarchical brain dynamics of rumination following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression

medRxiv June 23, 2026 Paulina Clara Dagnino, Anne Maj van der Velden, Henricus G. Ruhé et al.

Abstract Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide with risk of onset and recurrence linked to depressive ruminative thought patterns. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an evidence-based treatment for depression that targets the ability to recognise, decenter, and disengage from ruminative thought patterns. Elucidating how MBCT impacts hierarchical...

A Pilot Study of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Internet Gaming Disorder Among College-Aged Students in South Korea

Mindfulness June 1, 2026 Anderson Yoon, Yehwi Park, Min Ah Kim et al.

Abstract Objectives Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) integrates cognitive therapy and mindfulness meditation to help individuals disengage from maladaptive thoughts and reactive behavioral patterns. By cultivating nonjudgmental present-moment awareness and decentering from thoughts and emotions, MBCT enhances the capacity to respond more skillfully, thereby reducing impulsivity and...

Dynamic Repertoire of Brain Networks in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy During Rumination: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science May 14, 2026 Anne Maj van der Velden, Jakub Vohryzek, Paulina Clara Dagnino et al.

BACKGROUND Depression is a prevalent and debilitating affective disorder characterised by the dominance and persistence of depressive rumination. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment for recurrent depression developed specifically to target rumination and recurrence risk by training metacognitive awareness and adaptive attention, emotion and self-regulation...

Adolescents' trajectories of mental health in the MYRIAD trial.

JCPP Advances October 7, 2025 Carolina Guzman Holst, Simona Skripkauskaite, Jack L. Andrews et al.

This study explored adolescent's mental health trajectories over the course of a school-based mindfulness-based intervention trial (MYRIAD). It examined whether intervention condition (mindfulness vs. teaching-as-usual), individual-level and contextual-level factors were associated with different trajectories. This pre-registered study used data from 11- to 14-year-olds who participated in the...

The effect of mindfulness interventions on couple relationship satisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 1, 2025 Andreas Voldstad, Ananda Zeas-Sigüenza, Anton Skolzkov et al. 2 citations

Mindfulness interventions (MIs) train nonjudgmental attention to present-moment experience and aim to improve mental health and well-being. The evidence for their effect on interpersonal relationships is promising but uncertain. This study examines the effect of MIs on couple relationship satisfaction (RS). Randomized controlled trials of MIs including RS were selected based on systematic...

Examining what works for whom and how in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression: moderated-mediation analysis in the PREVENT trial.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science April 1, 2025 Jesus Montero-Marin, Verena Hinze, Shannon Maloney et al. 4 citations

Personalised management of recurrent depression, considering individual patient characteristics, is crucial. This study evaluates the potentially different mediating role of mindfulness skills in managing recurrent depression using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) among people with varying depression severity. Data from the Prevention of Depressive Relapse or Recurrence (PREVENT)...

Dynamical repertoire of brain networks in mindfulness cognitive behavioural therapy during rumination: A randomized controlled trial

medRxiv February 7, 2025 Jakub Vohryzek, Anne Maj van der Velden, Willem Kuyken et al. 1 citation preprint

BACKGROUND: Depression is a prevalent and debilitating affective disorder characterised by the dominance and persistence of depressive rumination. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment for recurrent depression developed specifically to target rumination and recurrence risk by training metacognitive awareness and adaptive attention, emotion and self-regulation...

The Mindful Way From Information to Knowledge, to Wisdom, and to Life: Perspectives on Mindfulness (-Based Cognitive Therapy) for Higher Education.

Mindfulness 2025 Marc-Henri Deroche, Willem Kuyken, Teruhisa Uwatoko et al. 5 citations

This article explores the potential relevance of Mindfulness-Based Programs, particularly Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), to support the mission of higher education by facilitating the journey from information to knowledge, and from knowledge to wisdom. It thus addresses the problems of distractibility and superficial engagement caused by information overload and aims to prepare...

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Taking It Further (MBCT-D-TiF): An Assessment of an Intervention Development Study.

Global advances in integrative medicine and health 2025 Chelsea J Siwik, Jessica M. Harrison, Willem Kuyken et al.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduces depression relapse, yet graduates have expressed a need for structured guidance post-program to maintain mindfulness practice and sustain benefits. To address this, we created MBCT for Depression-Taking it Further (MBCT-D-TiF). To refine and pilot test feasibility and acceptability of MBCT-D-TiF. We collected qualitative focus group data to...

Pathways to mental well-being for graduates of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): A mediation analysis of an RCT.

Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research November 1, 2024 Shannon Maloney, Jesus Montero-Marin, Willem Kuyken 17 citations

To explore mediated effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy-"Taking it Further" (MBCT-TiF) on mental well-being through changes in mindfulness, self-compassion, and decentering. A secondary analysis of an RCT using simple mediation, with 164 graduates of MBCT and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), was implemented whereby MBCT-TiF (vs ongoing mindfulness practice; OMP) was the...

Does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with tapering support reduce risk of relapse/recurrence in major depressive disorder by enhancing positive affect? A secondary analysis of the PREVENT trial.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology September 1, 2024 Barnaby D. Dunn, Laura Warbrick, Rachel Hayes et al. 10 citations

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a viable alternative to maintenance antidepressant medication (M-ADM) to reduce risk of relapse/recurrence (RR) in recurrent depression, but its mechanism of action is not yet fully articulated. This secondary analysis of the PREVENT trial examined if MBCT with support to taper medication (MBCT-TS) reduces risk of RR in part by enhancing positive...

Target mechanisms of mindfulness-based programmes and practices: a scoping review.

BMJ mental health August 24, 2024 Shannon Maloney, Merle Kock, Yasmijn Slaghekke et al. 16 citations

Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) and practices have demonstrated effects in mental health and well-being, yet questions regarding the target mechanisms that drive change across the population remain unresolved. Five databases were searched for randomised controlled trials that evaluate the indirect effects (IEs) of an MBP or mindfulness practice in relation to mental health and well-being...

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy-Taking it Further (MBCT-TiF) compared to Ongoing Mindfulness Practice (OMP) in the promotion of well-being and mental health: A randomised controlled trial with graduates of MBCT and MBSR.

Behaviour Research and Therapy February 1, 2024 Shannon Maloney, Jesus Montero-Marin, Willem Kuyken

To evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy-Taking it Further (MBCT-TiF), as an adapted programme for graduates of MBCT and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). MBCT-TiF sits within a global mental health approach, which aims to help shift a wider distribution of the population towards mental well-being and away from mental ill health using a...

A Validation Study of the Mindfulness-Based Interventions Teaching Assessment Criteria for Assessing Mindfulness-Based Intervention Teacher Skill: Inter-Rater Reliability and Predictive Validity.

Global advances in integrative medicine and health 2024 Frederick M Hecht, Rebecca S. Crane, Patricia J Moran et al. 2 citations

Prior data suggests the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: (MBI) Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC) has good inter-rater reliability, but many raters knew teacher experience level. We sought to further evaluate the MBI-TAC's inter-rater reliability and obtain preliminary data on predictive validity. We videorecorded 21 MBSR teachers from academic and community settings. We trained 19...

Mindfulness Training Changes Brain Dynamics During Depressive Rumination: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Biological Psychiatry February 1, 2023 Anne Maj van der Velden, Jacqueline Scholl, Else-Marie Elmholdt et al.

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and its prevalence is on the rise. One of the most debilitating aspects of depression is the dominance and persistence of depressive rumination, a state of mind that is linked to onset and recurrence of depression. Mindfulness meditation trains adaptive attention regulation and present-moment embodied awareness, skills that may be...

The State- and Trait-Level Effects and Candidate Mechanisms of Four Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Practices: Two Exploratory Studies.

Mindfulness 2023 Shannon Maloney, Christina Surawy, Maryanne Martin et al. 9 citations

The primary aim was to explore state- and trait-level effects and candidate mechanisms of four Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) practices. One hundred sixty adults self-selected from the general population were randomized to one of four mindfulness practices: body scan, mindful movement, breath and body, and befriending. Study 1 explored state-level self-compassion, mindfulness,...

Preventing Depression Relapse: A Qualitative Study on the Need for Additional Structured Support Following Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

Global advances in integrative medicine and health 2023 Chelsea J Siwik, Shelley R Adler, Patricia J Moran et al. 7 citations

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an effective group intervention for reducing rates of depression relapse. However, about one-third of graduates experience relapse within 1 year of completing the course. The current study aimed to explore the need and strategies for additional support following the MBCT course. We conducted 4 focus groups via videoconferencing, two with MBCT...

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 2023 Barnaby D. Dunn, Hanna Wiedemann, Merle Kock et al.

Abstract Objectives Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (MBCT-D) has been shown to be effective at repairing positive affect deficits in depressed individuals, but the mechanism of action underpinning these changes has not been empirically examined. To address this issue, secondary analyses of two randomised controlled trials in individuals with residual depression were...

Universal Mindfulness Training in Schools for Adolescents: a Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Moderators, Mediators, and Implementation Factors

Prevention Science August 1, 2022 Kate Tudor, Shannon Maloney, Anam Raja et al.

There is evidence that universal school-based mindfulness training (SBMT) can have positive effects for young people. However, it is unknown who benefits most from such training, how training exerts effects, and how implementation impacts effects. This study aimed to provide an overview of the evidence on the mediators, moderators, and implementation factors of SBMT, and propose a conceptual...

The development and internal evaluation of a predictive model to identify for whom Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) offers superior relapse prevention for recurrent depression versus maintenance antidepressant medication

Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science April 29, 2022 Z. Cohen, R. DeRubeis, Rachel Hayes et al.

Depression is highly recurrent, even following successful pharmacological and/or psychological intervention. We aimed to develop clinical prediction models to inform adults with recurrent depression choosing between antidepressant medication (ADM) maintenance or switching to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Using previously published data (N = 424), we constructed prognostic models...

A Biobehavioural Approach to Understand How Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Reduces Dispositional Negative Self-Bias in Recurrent Depression

Mindfulness April 1, 2022 Hans Kirschner, Willem Kuyken, Anke Karl

Abstract Objectives In order to address an important gap in understanding mechanisms of depressive relapse, we complemented self-report with psychophysiological measures to a specifically developed brief self-compassion exercise, to examine if mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduces dispositional negative self-bias in individuals with recurrent depression. Methods Individuals’...

Autobiographical memory style and clinical outcomes following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): An individual patient data meta-analysis

Behaviour Research and Therapy May 25, 2021 Caitlin Hitchcock, Christina Haag, Alicia J. Smith et al. preprint

The ability to retrieve specific, single-incident autobiographical memories has been consistently posited as a predictor of recurrent depression. Elucidating the role of autobiographical memory specificity in patient-response to depressive treatments may improve treatment efficacy and facilitate use of science-driven interventions. We used recent methodological advances in individual patient...

Reducing stress and promoting well-being in healthcare workers using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for life

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology February 18, 2021 Clara Strauss, Jenny Gu, Jesus Montero-Marin et al.

Background/Objective Healthcare workers play a critical role in the health of a nation, yet rates of healthcare worker stress are disproportionately high. We evaluated whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for life (MBCT-L), could reduce stress in healthcare workers and target a range of secondary outcomes. Method: This is the first parallel randomised controlled trial of MBCT-L....

Frequency of Self-reported Unpleasant Events and Harm in a Mindfulness-Based Program in Two General Population Samples

Mindfulness December 2, 2020 Ruth A. Baer, Catherine Crane, Jesus Montero-Marin et al.

Evidence-based mindfulness programs have well-established benefits, but the potential for harmful effects is understudied. We explored the frequency and severity of unpleasant experiences and harm in two nonclinical samples participating in an adaptation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for the general population. Study 1 included 84 schoolteachers; study 2 included 74 university...

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in Real-World Healthcare Services

Mindfulness January 12, 2019 A. Tickell, S. Ball, Paul Bernard et al.

Depression is common with a high risk of relapse/recurrence. There is evidence from multiple randomised controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrating the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for the prevention of depressive relapse/recurrence, and it is included in several national clinical guidelines for this purpose. However, little is known about whether MBCT is being delivered...