A mindfulness-based behavioral intervention reduced stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness and self-compassion in young adults with mild-to-moderate childhood maltreatment. The mindfulness group showed reduced stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness and self-compassion, while the waiting list control group showed no significant changes. Changes in mindfulness were linked to changes in self-compassion, which in turn were linked to reduced depression and anxiety. More intervention sessions attended were associated with greater reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression, suggesting a dose-dependent effect. The intervention may help improve self-compassion and psychological health in this population.
Among young adult survivors of childhood adversity, an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) and a Stress Management Education (SME) program both led to increased mindfulness, reduced stress, and improved depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms, with no significant difference between the two groups. Neither group showed greater changes in amygdala volume. Within the MBI group, the severity of childhood maltreatment mediated the link between mindfulness changes and right amygdala volume changes. Across both groups, childhood maltreatment moderated the effect of trait anxiety changes on left amygdala volume changes. The findings suggest that psychological-change-dependent amygdala volumetric changes are not unique to mindfulness training.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) produce unique therapeutic effects for young adults with adverse childhood experiences, with improvements in trait mindfulness driving reductions in perceived stress, somatization, and hostility. In a clinical trial, 21 participants completed an 8-week MBI and 19 completed a stress management education control. Weekly and follow-up assessments over 18 months showed that mindfulness increases began at the end of the 8-week program, and most symptom reductions lasted 12 months without refresher courses. Only the MBI group showed mindfulness gains predicting later symptom decreases. The findings suggest that at least 8 weeks of MBI and a refresher at 12 months may be needed for lasting benefit.
An 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) led to increases in right hippocampus and right subiculum volumes among adults with adverse childhood experiences, while an active control condition (stress management education) did not. Only the MBI group improved pattern separation, a measure of episodic memory, and this improvement was linked to stress reduction and right subiculum volume changes. The findings indicate that mindfulness training may counteract some negative neural effects of early-life stress, with the subiculum playing a key role in reducing stress reactivity.