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Exploratory study of the effects of multi-site mindfulness interventions on the multifaceted self as a psychosocial indicator of mental health: A pilot study.

Philippine Chachignon, Emmanuelle Le Barbenchon, Lionel Dany, Sylvia Martin

Acta Psychologica May 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104936 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Pre-/post-intervention study Pilot study Peer reviewed
Sample size 24
Population Individuals with depression and anxiety disorders
Intervention Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs)
Duration 8-week intervention
Topics Meditation
Keywords Mental disorders Mental health Mindfulness-based interventions Multifaceted self Psychosocial approach
Citations 1
Key points After an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, participants showed reduced self-negativity, a more positive view of others, and improvements in trait mindfulness, anxiety, depression, and self-compassion.

Abstract

The multifaceted self refers to how non-clinical individuals perceive themselves as possessing a more sophisticated self-compared to others by accumulating pairs of opposing positive traits. Conversely, depressed individuals are more multifaceted on negative traits, revealing an absence of self-enhancement strategies, which are known to be associated with psychological adjustment. A pre-/post-intervention study was conducted to observe the changes in multifaceted self and mental health following an 8-week multi-site Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) targeting depression and anxiety disorders. Among the 24 participants, changes occurred across all outcome measures (i.e., trait mindfulness, anxiety, depression and self-compassion). Participants displayed reduced self-negativity, a more positive view of others, and although they still maintained a more negative self-view compared to their view of others, this improved with the MBIs. Mindfulness and social comparison processes are discussed. The multifaceted self serves as a relevant methodological approach to assess mental health adjustment in MBIs.