The Role of Attentional Control in Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Longitudinal Mediation Analyses.
Zhenzhen Wang, Kaerqika Shalihaer, Stefan G Hofmann, Shixing Feng, Xinghua Liu
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 2024 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2981 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 498 |
| Population | Adults with high emotional distress recruited online |
| Intervention | Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress (MIED) |
| Duration | 49-day intervention, assessed at baseline, Week 3, Week 5, and Week 7 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attentional control Emotional distress Mediation Mindfulness‐based interventions Randomized controlled trial |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Attentional control mediated the effects of a 49-day online mindfulness intervention on reductions in anxiety and depression. |
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate whether attentional control serves as a mediator for mindfulness-based interventions for emotional distress, utilizing a randomized waitlist (WL)-controlled design. A total of 498 participants with high emotional distress was recruited online and randomly assigned to a 49-day online Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress (MIED) group (N = 249) or a WL control group (N = 249). Levels of attentional control, anxiety and depression were assessed at baseline (T0), Week 3 (T3), Week 5 (T5) and Week 7 (postintervention, T7). Linear mixed models revealed significant Group-by-Time interaction effects for attentional control (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p < 0.05). Latent growth curve analyses demonstrated a significant increase in attentional control and a decrease in anxiety and depression levels during the MIED programme. These changes becoming evident starting Week 3. Longitudinal mediation analyses revealed that the slope of attentional control significantly mediated the effects of the MIED programme on the slope of anxiety and depression levels. Further, attentional control level at Week 3 significantly mediates the effect of MIED programme on anxiety and depression levels at Weeks 5 and 7. Similarly, attentional control level at Week 5 significantly mediates the MIED programme's effects on anxiety and depression levels at Week 7. The present trial provides evidence suggesting that mindfulness interventions may alleviate emotional distress through the enhancement of attentional control. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry number: ChiCTR2200064140.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Decentering as a mediator of the effect of mindfulness on emotional distress: Evidence from cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Psychotherapy Research November 17, 2024
- Synchronous Online Group MBCT vs. Guided Asynchronous Online MBCT for Mild to Moderate Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial Mindfulness March 1, 2026
- Psychological trajectories following brief mindfulness training: a longitudinal comparison of active and passive controls Frontiers in Psychology August 26, 2026
- Mindfulness Boosts Specific Cognition via Self‐Control and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Chinese Left‐Behind Children Family Relations July 19, 2026
- Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of a Digital Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Psychological Distress Delivered by Trainee Instructors: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics August 14, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 22
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
- Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Mindfulness interventions improve momentary and trait measures of attentional control: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Experimental Psychology General September 24, 2020
and 17 more in the library