Relationship between meditative practice and self-reported mindfulness: the MINDSENS composite index.
Joaquim Soler, Ausiàs Cebolla, Albert Feliu-Soler, Marcelo Demarzo, Juan C Pascual, Rosa M Baños, Javier García-campayo
PLoS One January 22, 2014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086622 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 670 |
| Population | Voluntary participants with and without previous meditation experience (384 with experience, 286 without) |
| Measures | Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Experiences Questionnaire (EQ), MINDSENS composite index |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Cross-sectional studies Adult Middle aged Female Self report |
| Key findings | Meditators reported higher mindfulness than non-meditators across all measured facets, but the strength of the difference varied by facet, being strongest for Observing and Non-Reactivity and weakest for Non-judging, Describing, and Acting with awareness. Practice frequency and lifetime practice, not session length or meditation type, were associated with higher mindfulness skills, and a composite index discriminated daily meditators from non-meditators in 82.3% of cases. |
Abstract
Mindfulness has been described as an inherent human capability that can be learned and trained, and its improvement has been associated with better health outcomes in both medicine and psychology. Although the role of practice is central to most mindfulness programs, practice-related improvements in mindfulness skills is not consistently reported and little is known about how the characteristics of meditative practice affect different components of mindfulness. The present study explores the role of practice parameters on self-reported mindfulness skills. A total of 670 voluntary participants with and without previous meditation experience (n = 384 and n = 286, respectively) responded to an internet-based survey on various aspects of their meditative practice (type of meditation, length of session, frequency, and lifetime practice). Participants also completed the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ). The group with meditation experience obtained significantly higher scores on all facets of FFMQ and EQ questionnaires compared to the group without experience. However different effect sizes were observed, with stronger effects for the Observing and Non-Reactivity facets of the FFMQ, moderate effects for Decentering in EQ, and a weak effect for Non-judging, Describing, and Acting with awareness on the FFMQ. Our results indicate that not all practice variables are equally relevant in terms of developing mindfulness skills. Frequency and lifetime practice--but not session length or meditation type--were associated with higher mindfulness skills. Given that these 6 mindfulness aspects show variable sensitivity to practice, we created a composite index (MINDSENS) consisting of those items from FFMQ and EQ that showed the strongest response to practice. The MINDSENS index was able to correctly discriminate daily meditators from non-meditators in 82.3% of cases. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the development of mindfulness skills and support trainers and researchers in improving mindfulness-oriented practices and programs.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 56
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Exploring the therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca: acute intake increases mindfulness-related capacities Psychopharmacology November 27, 2015
- Assessing the Psychedelic “After-Glow” in Ayahuasca Users: Post-Acute Neurometabolic and Functional Connectivity Changes Are Associated with Enhanced Mindfulness Capacities The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology May 17, 2017
- Fostering Self‐Compassion and Loving‐Kindness in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Pilot Study Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy January 28, 2016
- The Serenity of the Meditating Mind: A Cross-Cultural Psychometric Study on a Two-Factor Higher Order Structure of Mindfulness, Its Effects, and Mechanisms Related to Mental Health among Experienced Meditators PLoS One October 16, 2014
and 51 more in the library
Cites 19
- 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
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
and 14 more in the library