Differential effects of mindfulness meditation conditions on repetitive negative thinking and subjective time perspective: a randomized active-controlled study
Susanna Feruglio, Alessio Matiz, A. Grecucci, Stefania Pascut, F. Fabbro, C. Crescentini
Psychology and Health October 23, 2020 DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2020.1836178 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDifferent mindfulness techniques produce distinct effects on mental rumination and time perspective. In an 8-week study, 75 healthy young adults were assigned to mindful breathing, body scan, observing-thoughts meditation, or an active control group. All meditation groups improved mindfulness skills more than the control group. Mindful breathing specifically reduced brooding and increased a positive view of the future compared to the other techniques. These differential effects suggest that tailoring meditation practices could enhance interventions aimed at reducing maladaptive thinking and fostering optimism.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 75 |
| Population | Healthy young participants |
| Interventions | mindful breathing body scan observing-thoughts meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Mindful breathing specifically reduced brooding and increased positive future perspective compared to body scan, observing-thoughts meditation, and an active control condition. |
Abstract
Abstract Objective Preliminary findings suggest that different kinds of meditation could work on diverse cognitive and psychological processes. The present study aimed at disentangling the effects of three mindfulness techniques on mental rumination and subjective time perspective. Design: 75 young healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: mindful breathing, body scan, observing-thoughts meditation and an active control condition. The meditation groups practiced mindfulness daily and attended weekly group meetings for 8 weeks, while the control group was involved in reading and discussing a book about mindfulness. Main outcome measures: Self-report measures of mindfulness skills, ruminative thinking, attitude towards time, anxiety, depression and personality traits. Results: In all meditation conditions, analysis of covariance showed a significant improvement in mindfulness skills compared to the control group. We found a specific effect of mindful breathing in reducing participants’ tendency to brooding and in increasing their positive vision of the future, compared to all other conditions. Conclusions: As expected, we found some differential effects: breathing meditation helped practitioners to train more effectively their ability to disengage from maladaptive ruminative thoughts, which could be reflected in a more optimistic attitude toward the future. These results provide useful information to structure better mindfulness-based interventions.