A Pilot Study of the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Positive Affect and Social Anxiety Symptoms
Marlene V. Strege, Deanna M. Swain, Lauren Ann Bochicchio, Andrew Valdespino, John A. Richey
Frontiers in Psychology June 1, 2018 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00866 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open-label trial Randomized Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Adults meeting criteria for varied anxiety disorders, most with generalized anxiety disorder and/or social anxiety disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Citations | 34 |
| Key findings | Improvements in positive affect, but not reductions in negative affect, predicted improvement in social anxiety symptoms after MBCT. Worry symptoms were instead predicted by decreased negative affect among individuals with generalized anxiety disorder, and by both decreased negative affect and increased positive affect in the full sample. The authors suggest MBCT may reduce social anxiety symptoms via improved positive affect, but note the findings are exploratory given the small, heterogeneous, uncontrolled sample. |
Abstract
Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is efficacious in reducing residual depressive symptoms and preventing future depressive episodes (Kuyken et al., 2016). One potential treatment effect of MBCT may be improvement of positive affect (PA), due to improved awareness of daily positive events (Geschwind, Peeters, Drukker, Van Os, & Wichers, 2011). Considering social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by diminished PA (Brown, Chorpita, & Barlow, 1998; Kashdan, 2007), we sought to determine whether MBCT would reduce social anxiety symptoms, and whether this reduction would be associated with improvement of PA deficits. Adults (N = 22) who met criteria for varied anxiety disorders participated in a small, open-label trial of an 8-week manualized MBCT intervention. Most participants presented with either a diagnosis (primary, secondary, or tertiary) of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (N = 15) and/or SAD (N = 14) prior to treatment, with eight individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for both GAD and SAD. We hypothesized participants would demonstrate improvements in social anxiety symptoms, which would be predicted by improvements in PA, not reductions in negative affect (NA). Results of several hierarchical linear regression analyses (completed in both full and disorder-specific samples) indicated that improvements in PA but not reductions in NA predicted social anxiety improvement. This effect was not observed for symptoms of worry, which were instead predicted by decreased NA for individuals diagnosed with GAD and both decreased NA and increased PA in the entire sample. Results suggest that MBCT may be efficacious in mitigating social anxiety symptoms, and this therapeutic effect may be linked to improvements in PA. However, further work is necessary considering the small, heterogeneous sample, uncontrolled study design, and exploratory nature of the study.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Effect of Qi-based mindfulness therapy for mild-to-moderate depression. World Journal of Psychiatry April 19, 2025
- Examining the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on social anxiety levels of university students: a mixed study Asia Pacific Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy July 3, 2025
- Mindfulness as Adjuvant Treatment for Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder: An Integrative Review Revista Portuguesa de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental June 16, 2023
- The effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on self-esteem, self-concept, and social anxiety of people with social anxiety disorder ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry May 1, 2022
- A Delphi Study Investigating Clinicians’ Views on Access to, Delivery of, and Adaptations of MBCT in the UK Clinical Settings Mindfulness September 1, 2021
and 3 more in the library
Cites 18
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2004
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
and 13 more in the library