The (Lack of) Replication of Self-Reported Mindfulness as a Mechanism of Change in Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Substance Use Disorders.
Yu-Yu Hsiao, Davood Tofighi, Eric S Kruger, M Lee van Horn, David P MacKinnon, Katie Witkiewitz
Mindfulness April 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-018-1023-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Secondary analysis of two randomized clinical trials Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults receiving MBRP as aftercare treatment for substance use disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) |
| Topics | Addiction Meditation |
| Keywords | Craving Mediation Mindfulness-based relapse prevention Replicability Reproducibility Sensitivity analyses |
| Key findings | The previously reported mediation effect—that a latent mindfulness construct mediates MBRP's effect on reducing craving—failed to replicate in a separate randomized trial, and the effect of MBRP on self-reported mindfulness also failed to replicate. The association between self-reported mindfulness and lower craving after treatment did replicate and was robust to sensitivity analysis for unmeasured confounding. |
Abstract
The development and evaluation of mindfulness-based interventions for a variety of psychological and medical disorders has grown exponentially over the past 20 years. Yet, calls for increasing the rigor of mindfulness research and recognition of the difficulties of conducting research on the topic of mindfulness have also increased. One of the major difficulties is the measurement of mindfulness, with varying definitions across studies and ambiguity with respect to the meaning of mindfulness. There is also concern about the reproducibility of findings given few attempts at replication. The current secondary analysis addressed the issue of reproducibility and robustness of the construct of self-reported mindfulness across two separate randomized clinical trials of mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP), as an aftercare treatment for substance use disorder. Specifically, we tested the robustness of our previously published findings, which identified a latent construct of mindfulness as a significant mediator of the effect of MBRP on reducing craving following treatment. First, we attempted to replicate the findings in a separate randomized clinical trial of MBRP. Second, we conducted sensitivity analyses to test the assumption of the no-omitted confounder bias in a mediation model. The effect of MBRP on self-reported mindfulness and overall mediation effect failed to replicate in a new sample. The effect of self-reported mindfulness in predicting craving following treatment did replicate and was robust to the no-omitted confounder bias. The results of this work shine a light on the difficulties in the measurement of mindfulness and the importance of examining the robustness of findings.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on addiction, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Mindfulness-based programs for substance use disorders: a systematic review of manualized treatments Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy July 29, 2020
- The effect of mindfulness on decision-making, inhibitory control, and impulsivity of substance use disorder in-treatment patients: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS One 2023
- Mindfulness-based interventions for substance use disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews October 20, 2021
- In search of mindfulness: a review and reconsideration of cultural dynamics from a cognitive perspective. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand May 18, 2021
- Dismantling Mindfulness-Based Programs: A Systematic Review to Identify Active Components of Treatment. Mindfulness July 25, 2020
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