Impact of continued mindfulness practice on resilience and well-being in mindfulness-based intervention graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.
Chisato Tanaka, Kenta Wakaizumi, Akira Ninomiya, Noriko Tamura, Shizuko Kosugi, Sunre Park, Mitsuhiro Sado, Masaru Mimura, Daisuke Fujisawa
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1002/pcn5.132 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 95 |
| Population | Graduates of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) |
| Intervention | mindfulness practice |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Covid‐19 Distress Long‐term practice Mindfulness‐based interventions Resilience |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | MBI graduates who continued mindfulness practice had significantly lower depression and higher resilience, overall health, and mental health, with resilience fully mediating the reduction in depression. |
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented stress. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are known to be effective in reducing stress. However, it is unclear how long-term outcomes differ between those who continue mindfulness practice after MBIs and those who do not. In this study, we hypothesized that those who continued mindfulness practice would have higher stress tolerance, and we examined this hypothesis through a survey of MBI graduates. In this study, we examined the association between the continuation of mindfulness practice among MBI completers and individual stress during the COVID-19 epidemic. A cross-sectional survey of MBI graduates was conducted. The physical and mental health states were compared between those who established a habit of mindfulness practice (practice group) and those who did not (no practice group). The data were collected from 95 participants (response rate: 53.7%). Of the total respondents, 66 (69.5%) practiced mindfulness. Although the degree of perceived stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic was not statistically different between the practice and no practice groups, the practice group showed significantly lower levels of depression (p = 0.007), higher levels of resilience (p = 0.006), higher levels of overall health (p = 0.006), and higher levels of mental health (p = 0.039). The effect of mindfulness practice on reducing depression was fully mediated by resilience. Among MBI graduates, those who regularly practiced mindfulness had lower levels of depression and higher levels of physical and mental health. Thus, the continuation of mindfulness practice increases resilience, buffers against new stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and has the potential to prevent depression.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
and 13 more in the library