Beneficial effects of a program of Mindfulness by remote during COVID-19 lockdown.
S Borghi, A Nisticò, G Marano, Luigi Janiri, Gabriele Sani, Marianna Mazza
European review for medical and pharmacological sciences August 2022 DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202208_29427 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 108 |
| Population | General population during early COVID-19 lockdown |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program |
| Duration | 8-week program |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Among 108 survey respondents, 61.9% reported fair-to-good general well-being linked to the mindfulness practice. Women, married individuals, and those on medication showed significant improvement in daily emotion management. The authors suggest mindfulness meditation may help regulate emotions and support mental health during the pandemic. |
Abstract
In the emergency context of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, mindfulness relaxation techniques can provide a safe and effective strategy to obtain in a reasonably short time some degree of relief from suffering and to guarantee a greater confidence with emotional reactions in the general population. The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program for coping with COVID-19 emergency was designed as an 8-week program during the early phase of lockdown consisting in practice meditation exercises at least once a day guided and structured by certified instructors entered on a free online platform. At the end of the program all participants completed a survey. A total of 108 surveys were completed (67.6% male; 32.4% female). Despite the difficult moment of lockdown and the fear linked to the pandemic, 61.9% of interviewed subjects declared a state of general well-being from fair to good linked to the practice of mindfulness. Female subjects (p=0.001), married subjects (p=0.05) and people taking pharmacologic therapy demonstrated (p=0.009) significant improvement in daily management of emotions and practical requests during the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak. Mindfulness meditation may be effective in helping people to regulate emotions and to support their mental health during this period of worry and uncertainty.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |