Mindfulness Effects on Anxiety: Disentangling the Role of Decentering and Treatment Expectations
Danielle Phinette Aafke Bos, Mike Keesman, Arent Roggeveen, Lene Vase, Andrea W.M. Evers, Kaya Peerdeman
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial using a balanced placebo design |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 128 |
| Population | Adults experiencing anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Interventions | Mindful decentering Sham decentering |
| Measures | short State version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindful decentering reduced anxiety from pre- to post-intervention compared with sham decentering, and the mindful group used more decentering-related words. The data provided no evidence for either an additive or an interactive effect of mindful decentering and treatment expectations on anxiety, suggesting the brief online decentering exercise reduced pandemic-related anxiety independently of expectations. |
Abstract
In an online study using a balanced placebo design, we examined whether decentering, a key component of mindfulness, and expectations, a key component of placebo effects, contribute additively or interactively to reducing anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 128 adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups: told effective/mindful decentering, told effective/sham decentering, told sham/mindful decentering, told sham/sham decentering.Instructions were given using standardized audio-instructions. Current anxiety was assessed pre- and post-intervention with the short State version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The data could provide neither evidence for an additive nor an interactive effect of mindful decentering and treatment expectations on anxiety. Compared to sham decentering, mindful decentering reduced anxiety post-intervention. The mindful decentering group mentioned more decentering-related words than the sham decentering group. The findings indicate that a short, standardized, and online mindful decentering intervention can effectively decrease pandemic-related anxiety, independently of one’s expectations. These findings will inform on future research and on methods for optimizing mindfulness effects.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 11
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and 6 more in the library