Improvements in Executive Attention, Rumination, Cognitive Reactivity, and Mindfulness Among High-Suicide Risk Patients Participating in Adjunct Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Preliminary Findings.
Megan S Chesin, Christopher A. Benjamin-Phillips, John G Keilp, Eric A Fertuck, Beth S. Brodsky, Barbara Stanley
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine August 2016 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2015.0351 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study (single-group pre-post) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | High-suicide risk outpatients with a 6-month history of suicide attempt or active suicidal ideation plus suicidal ideation at study entry |
| Duration | 9 weeks of adjunct group-based MBCT-S |
| Measures | Stroop interference effect, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-acting with awareness subscale, Ruminative Responses Brooding subscale, Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised-Hopelessness/Suicidality subscale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Executive attention improved after MBCT-S (Stroop interference effect 0.39 at baseline vs 0.27 post-treatment, d = 0.75), acting with awareness increased (mean change 3.3, d = 1.1), and rumination and cognitive reactivity to hopelessness/suicidality decreased (brooding change -3.4, d = 3.2; LEIDS-R-Hopelessness/Suicidality change -3, d = 1.1). None of these changes were related to improvements in depression or reductions in suicidal ideation during treatment. |
Abstract
To test changes to cognitive functioning among high-suicide risk outpatients participating in an adjunct mindfulness-based intervention combining mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and safety planning (MBCT-S). Ten outpatients with a 6-month history of suicide attempt or active suicidal ideation plus suicidal ideation at study entry received 9 weeks of adjunct group-based MBCT-S. Executive attention, sustained attention, visual memory, and semantic memory encoding were measured by neuropsychological assessment. Rumination, mindfulness, cognitive reactivity (defined as the tendency towards depressogenic information processing and thought content in response to mild mood deterioration), and self-compassion were assessed using self-report measures. Changes in pre- to post-treatment functioning on these constructs were analyzed by using dependent t-tests. Where significant improvements were found, correlations between changes to cognitive functioning and depression and suicidal ideation during treatment were calculated. Executive attention improved with MBCT-S in high-suicide risk outpatients (Stroop interference effect = 0.39 [standard deviation (SD), 27] at baseline and 0.27 (SD, 0.15) at post-treatment, t[9] = 2.35, p = 0.04, d = 0.75). One mindfulness skill, acting with awareness, increased with MBCT-S (average change in Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-acting with awareness subscale score with treatment, 3.3 [SD, 3.0], t[9] = 3.46, p < 0.01, d = 1.1). Self-reported rumination and cognitive reactivity to suicidality and hopelessness decreased among participants (Ruminative Responses Brooding subscale score change, -3.4 [SD, 1.1], t[9] = 10, p < 0.001, d = 3.2; Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised-Hopelessness/Suicidality subscale score change, -3 [SD, 2.7], t[9] = 3.56, p < 0.01, d = 1.1). None of these changes were related to improvements in depression or reductions in suicidal ideation during treatment. Findings from the present pilot study suggest that treatment with MBCT-S may improve cognitive deficits specific to suicide ideators and attempters among depressed patients. Future controlled trials using follow-up assessments are needed to determine the specificity of these improvements in cognitive functioning to MBCT-S and their durability and to formally test whether the observed improvements in cognitive functioning explain MBCT-S treatment gains.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Perceptions of Adjunctive Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to Prevent Suicidal Behavior Among High Suicide-Risk Outpatient Participants Crisis May 31, 2018
- Childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation in Chinese children and adolescents: the mediating role of mindfulness BMC Psychiatry November 4, 2022
- The impact of mindfulness therapy combined with mentalization-based family therapy on suicidal ideation in adolescents with depressive disorder: randomized intervention study. Annals of General Psychiatry May 8, 2024
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Individuals Who Are Suicidal: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of Suicide Research 2024
- Investigating the mediating roles of executive functioning and rumination in the relations between dispositional mindfulness and depression among high school students Current Psychology February 27, 2024
and 5 more in the library
Cites 18
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
and 13 more in the library