Surprise and delight: Response to informal versus formal mindfulness among university students with self-injury.

J. Petrovic; Julia Milad; Jessica Mettler; Chloe A. Hamza; Nancy L. Heath

doi:10.1037/ser0000825

Surprise and delight: Response to informal versus formal mindfulness among university students with self-injury.

J. Petrovic, Julia Milad, Jessica Mettler, Chloe A. Hamza, Nancy L. Heath

Psychological Services December 7, 2023 DOI: 10.1037/ser0000825 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size	36
Population	University students with a recent history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)
Interventions	formal sitting meditation informal practice)
Duration	Brief mindfulness practice followed by a semistructured interview
Topics	Meditation
Key findings	Informal mindfulness practice was reported as highly acceptable, with favorable physical and psychological experiences predominating and only informal practice inspiring delight and surprise; preferences for guidance were mixed between formal and informal practice. The authors argue clinicians should emphasize informal practice in mindfulness-based interventions for students with a history of NSSI.

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as the deliberate destruction of one's bodily tissue without suicidal intent. Mindfulness practice is commonly incorporated into universities' stress management programming and may benefit students with a history of NSSI. However, recent findings suggest that these students may respond differentially to specific types of mindfulness practice (i.e., formal vs. informal practice). The present study qualitatively explored the acceptability of different types of mindfulness practice among university students with a history of NSSI. University students with a recent history of NSSI (n = 36) completed a semistructured interview following a brief mindfulness practice (i.e., either a formal body scan, formal sitting meditation, or informal practice). Reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed five key themes. First, there appeared to be general misconceptions regarding what constitutes mindfulness practice (Theme 1). Nevertheless, within the present study, all mindfulness practices were carried out with relative ease (Theme 2). Notably, favorable physical and psychological experiences were predominant in response to informal practice (Theme 3). Preferences regarding level of guidance were more mixed in response to formal versus informal practice (Theme 4). Finally, only informal practice inspired feelings of delight and surprise following practice (Theme 5). Informal mindfulness practice is deemed highly acceptable by university students with a history of NSSI and clinicians should strongly consider emphasizing it in mindfulness-based interventions offered to these students, to provide them with the best opportunity to build a regular mindfulness practice and develop their emotion regulation abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan...	2017	Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system	2004	Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety	2006	Exploratory mixed methods study	n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context	2001	Qualitative study	n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators	2013	Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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