Relationship of Mindfulness to Distress and Cortisol Response in Adolescent Girls At-Risk for Type 2 Diabetes.
Amanda Skoranski, Nichole R Kelly, Rachel M Radin, Katherine A Thompson, Ovidiu Galescu, Andrew P Demidowich, Sheila M Brady, Kong Y Chen, Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Jack A Yanovski, Lauren B Shomaker
Journal of Child and Family Studies March 19, 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s10826-018-1065-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 119 |
| Population | Adolescent girls aged 12-17 years with overweight/obesity, a family history of diabetes, and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Stress Adolescence Dispositional mindfulness |
| Key findings | Greater dispositional mindfulness was associated with less perceived pain and negative affect during and after a cold-pressor stressor, but was unrelated to cortisol response. Regardless of mindfulness level, greater depressive and anxiety symptoms related to a more blunted cortisol response. The authors propose that mindfulness may promote distress tolerance by altering how adolescents perceive and relate to acute stress rather than through the physiological stress response. |
Abstract
Altered stress response theoretically contributes to the etiology of cardiometabolic disease. Mindfulness may be a protective buffer against the effects of stress on health outcomes by altering how individuals evaluate and respond to stress. We engaged adolescent girls at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes in a cold-pressor test in order to determine the relationship of dispositional mindfulness to cortisol response and subjective stress, including perceived pain and unpleasantness during the stressor, and negative affect following the stressor. We also evaluated mindfulness as a moderator of psychological distress (depressive/anxiety symptoms) and stress response. Participants were 119 girls age 12-17 years with overweight/obesity, family history of diabetes, and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. Greater mindfulness was associated with less perceived pain and negative affect, but was unrelated to cortisol response to the stressor. Regardless of mindfulness, greater depressive/anxiety symptoms related to a more blunted cortisol response. Mindfulness might promote better distress tolerance in adolescents at risk for diabetes by altering how youth perceive and relate to acute stress, rather than through altering the physiological stress response. At all levels of mindfulness, depressive/anxiety symptoms relate to greater blunting of cortisol response. Findings contribute to emerging literature on the role of mindfulness in promoting the mental and physical health and well-being of individuals at risk for Type 2 diabetes.
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
Cites 7
- 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
- Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology's (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment 2011
- A mind you can count on: validating breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness Frontiers in Psychology October 24, 2014
- "Letting Go" (Implicitly): Priming Mindfulness Mitigates the Effects of a Moderate Social Stressor. Frontiers in Psychology June 13, 2016
and 2 more in the library