Mechanisms of change of traditional mindfulness practice in Thai adolescent students: a cross-sectional mediation study.
Somboon Jarukasemthawee, Kullaya Pisitsungkagarn, Thanapol Leangsuksant, Natalia Lara González
International journal of adolescent medicine and health September 8, 2018 DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2018-0012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Thai adolescent students experienced in Buddhist meditation practices |
| Intervention | Traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Sem Thai Emotional regulation Late adolescents Psychological distress Rumination |
| Key findings | The authors report significant negative correlations between rumination and distress and between emotional regulation difficulty and distress, and significant positive correlations between mindfulness and these mediators. They argue these findings align with results from secular mindfulness-based intervention research and suggest traditional Buddhist mindfulness may help reduce non-clinical distress, rumination, and emotion regulation difficulties. |
Abstract
Given the substantial evidence for the efficacy of secular mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for reducing psychological distress and increasing wellbeing, research attention has more recently turned to investigating the mechanisms by which this is achieved and has revealed that MBI works not only directly on reducing distress, but also indirectly through a reduction in mediating problems such as rumination and emotional regulation difficulty. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have yet been undertaken to evaluate the effect on such mediating conditions, of traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation, as practiced in Eastern cultures and increasingly in the West, from which MBIs have been derived but remain distinctly different. The current study was therefore designed to examine the effect of traditional mindfulness on mediating conditions in participants who were born into and were experienced in this approach. Specifically, the study examines the relationship between traditional mindfulness and distress, and between traditional mindfulness and the mediating conditions of rumination and emotional regulation difficulty, in Thai adolescent students experienced in Buddhist meditation practices. The results resonate well with the findings from MBI studies, showing significant negative correlations between rumination and distress and emotional regulation difficulty and distress, and significant positive correlations between mindfulness and the mediators. The implications of the benefits of traditional mindfulness for reducing non-clinical distress, rumination and difficulties in emotion regulation are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 17
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Clarifying the construct of mindfulness in the context of emotion regulation and the process of change in therapy. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Inside the Mindful Mind Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2013
and 12 more in the library