The Many Facets of Mindfulness and the Prediction of Change Following Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

People with lower levels of acceptance and decentering at the start of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program showed greater decreases in perceived stress afterward. However, higher baseline awareness, acceptance, and decentering predicted larger increases in positive affect, while higher awareness predicted greater reductions in negative affect, and lower decentering also predicted greater reductions in negative affect. The findings partly support the idea that lower initial mindfulness allows more room for improvement, but they also highlight that different facets of mindfulness relate to outcomes in unique and sometimes opposite ways.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Objectives Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) promotes numerous psychological benefits, but few studies have identified for whom MBSR is most effective. The current study tested the hypothesis that lower baseline mindfulness invites more “room to grow” and, thus, predicts greater improvement during MBSR. Design We examined three facets of mindfulness (awareness, acceptance, decentering), among 131 MBSR participants prior to enrollment, to test the hypothesis that lower baseline mindfulness predicts greater improvements in perceived stress, positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) following MBSR. Results Lower acceptance and decentering predicted greater decreases in perceived stress. Higher awareness, acceptance, and decentering predicted greater increases in PA. Higher awareness predicted greater reductions in NA. Lower decentering predicted greater reductions in NA. Conclusions Findings partly supported the hypothesis that lower baseline mindfulness predicts greater improvement following MBSR and emphasize the importance of assessing multiple mindfulness facets given their unique, contrasting relations to outcomes.