To examine the mechanistic role of cognitive flexibility in mindfulness intervention for emotional distress (MIED), we conducted two randomized controlled trials. In Study 1, 607 participants experiencing high emotional distress were randomly assigned to either an MIED program group (N = 304) or a waitlist control group (N = 303). Levels of cognitive flexibility, anxiety, depression, and...
Meditation apps are the most commonly used mental health apps. However, the optimal dosing of app-delivered meditation practice has not been established. We examined whether the distribution of meditation practices across a day impacted outcomes in a distressed population. We investigated the effects of meditation practice frequency in a 2-week compassion-based meditation intervention delivered...
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of a mindfulness-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention, tailored to the pandemic context, among young adult students (N = 114) with elevated anxiety and/or depressive symptoms during quarantine in China, compared to a time- and attention-matched social support-based mHealth control. At baseline, postintervention (1 month), and 2-month...
= .879). In multilevel mediation models, improved practice quality mediated the link between practice time and changes in self-report mindfulness, suggesting improved practice quality functions as a mechanism linking practice time and outcome in MBSR. Future research evaluating practice quality in clinical samples, in tandem with intensive sampling paradigms (e.g., experience sampling) and...
In this article we describe and illustrate various visual and nonparametric techniques that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in single-case experiments. Using an alternating treatments design across 2 cases, we tested whether practicing mindfulness would help a novice therapist stay focused and respond to a client more empathically and genuinely. Specifically, after...
Most measures of spirituality privilege religious spirituality, but people may experience spirituality in a variety of ways, including a sense of closeness, oneness, or connection with a theistic being, the transcendent (i.e., something outside space and time), oneself, humanity, or nature. The overall purpose of the present 4 studies was to develop the Sources of Spirituality (SOS) Scale to...
As mindfulness-based interventions become increasingly widespread, interest has grown in better understanding which features of these treatments produce beneficial effects. The present study examined the relative contribution of mindfulness practice time and practice quality in predicting psychological functioning (negative affect, emotion regulation, quality of life, mindfulness). Data were...