Participant Perspectives on Mindfulness Meditation Training for Anxiety in Schizophrenia
Linda F. Brown, Louanne W. Davis, Valerie A. LaRocco, Amy M. Strasburger
American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation August 10, 2010 DOI: 10.1080/15487768.2010.501302 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study (descriptive study of program evaluation interview responses) Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 15 |
| Population | Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Citations | 55 |
| Key findings | Participants most often reported relaxation, relief from psychological symptoms, cognitive changes, and focus on the present. All participants found mindfulness training acceptable, and no one reported worsening of psychotic or other symptoms while meditating. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation training has been found to be helpful across a range of mental and physical health conditions. Research testing mindfulness-based interventions in the psychiatric rehabilitation context has been rare, however—possibly due to concerns about the potential for exacerbation of psychotic symptoms during meditation practice. Fifteen individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders participated in a pilot study testing a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce anxiety. In this descriptive study of program evaluation interview responses, we examined the feedback participants had provided in face-to-face interviews to determine the degree to which individuals reported finding mindfulness training acceptable and helpful. Two raters systematically coded the data independently. The combined findings led to the identification of themes that surfaced most often overall and the context in which these themes had emerged. Outcomes mentioned most frequently by participants were relaxation, relief from psychological symptoms, cognitive changes, and focus on the present. These findings were consistent with extant literature identifying similar constructs as active ingredients of mindfulness-based interventions. Results suggested that mindfulness meditation training was acceptable to all participants; no one reported worsening of psychotic or other symptoms while meditating. We concluded that mindfulness meditation training should be further tested for its potential to be helpful in recovery from psychiatric disability.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2017
- Mindfulness interventions in medical education: A systematic review of their impact on medical student stress, depression, fatigue and burnout Medical Teacher November 7, 2017
- The importance of formal versus informal mindfulness practice for enhancing psychological wellbeing and study engagement in a medical student cohort with a 5-week mindfulness-based lifestyle program. PLoS One 2021
- The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training on Hope, Psychological Well-Being, and Functional Recovery in Patients with Schizophrenia Clinical Nursing Research August 12, 2021
- Retraining the addicted brain: a review of hypothesized neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors July 9, 2012
Cites 6
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. Industrial Psychiatry Journal October 29, 2024
- Mindfulness: An Intervention for Anxiety in Schizophrenia Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services November 1, 2007
and 1 more in the library