Assessment
February 29, 2008
Ruth A. Baer, Gregory T. Smith, Emily L. B. Lykins et al.
2,933 citations
Mindfulness as measured by self-report includes five component skills: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience, assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The authors examined the construct validity of the FFMQ in experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups. Most mindfulness facets were significantly related to meditation experience and to psychological symptoms and well-being. The relationship between the observing facet and psychological adjustment varied with meditation experience. Several facets independently predicted well-being and mediated the relationship between meditation experience and well-being, supporting the FFMQ's construct validity in these samples.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
December 3, 2013
J. Mark G. Williams, Catherine Crane, Thorsten Barnhofer et al.
418 citations
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) plus treatment as usual (TAU) did not significantly reduce the risk of relapse to major depressive disorder over 12 months compared with cognitive psychological education (CPE) plus TAU or TAU alone among people with at least three previous episodes. The hazard ratio for MBCT versus CPE was 0.88, and for MBCT versus TAU was 0.69, both with confidence intervals crossing 1.0. However, severity of childhood trauma influenced relapse risk: each one-standard-deviation increase in trauma severity raised the hazard ratio to 1.26. Among participants with above-average childhood trauma, MBCT offered significant protection compared with TAU (hazard ratio 0.43) and a non-significant advantage over CPE. For those with below-average trauma, no differences between treatments appeared.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
December 9, 2005
J. Mark G. Williams, Danielle S. Duggan, Catherine Crane et al.
235 citations
Once suicidal thoughts emerge in depression, they tend to return whenever sad mood reappears, part of a suicidal mode of mind. This article reviews how mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may prevent reactivation of that suicidal mode. MBCT combines mindfulness meditation with cognitive therapy, training participants to observe moment-by-moment experience with nonjudgmental acceptance. This helps people see thoughts as mental events rather than facts, a skill called metacognitive awareness. A case example illustrates how mindfulness skills develop and relate to cognitive processes fueling suicidal crises. Pilot work suggests MBCT is a promising intervention for those with past suicidal ideation; an ongoing controlled trial will provide further evidence.
British Journal of Clinical Psychology
March 2, 2009
Silvia R. Hepburn, Catherine Crane, Thorsten Barnhofer et al.
74 citations
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may reduce thought suppression in people with a history of depression and suicidality, but effects depend on how thought suppression is measured. In a randomized controlled trial, 68 participants were assigned to MBCT or a waitlist control. MBCT did not reduce thought suppression on the White Bear Suppression Inventory, but it did significantly reduce self-reported attempts to suppress thoughts in the previous week. The findings provide preliminary evidence that MBCT for suicidality could lessen thought suppression, though different measures yield different results and further research is needed.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
August 24, 2015
T. Barnhofer, C. Crane, Kate Brennan et al.
Mindfulness training can weaken the link between depressive symptoms and suicidal thinking in patients with a history of suicidal depression. In a randomized trial, previously suicidal patients received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), an active control treatment (cognitive psychoeducation, CPE), or treatment as usual (TAU). After treatment, among patients with minimal to moderate depressive symptoms, suicidal cognitions were significantly related to symptom levels in both control groups but not in the MBCT group. This suggests that mindfulness training helps patients decenter from negative thinking, reducing a key vulnerability for relapse into suicidal depression.
Journal of Affective Disorders
April 1, 2008
J.M.G. Williams, Y. Alatiq, C. Crane et al.
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder who were in remission but had suicidal ideation or behavior. In a small pilot randomized trial, bipolar participants receiving MBCT showed greater immediate improvement in anxiety compared to those on a waitlist, and both bipolar and unipolar participants had fewer residual depressive symptoms. The findings are preliminary due to the small sample and cannot be generalized to individuals without suicidal symptoms.