Psychological Mindedness as a mediatior between MBSR and perceived stress
Renée Zonneveld, Ivan Nyklíček, Johan Denollet
June 19, 2018 DOI: 10.20472/iac.2018.935.056 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 147 |
| Population | Adults recruited via a newspaper advertisement for a stress-reduction intervention |
| Intervention | Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | Eight week intervention, with questionnaires before and after the eight weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Change in psychological mindedness fully mediated the relationship between condition (MBSR vs. waiting list) and perceived stress. Participants in the MBSR condition showed a larger increase in psychological mindedness, which was related to a larger decrease in perceived stress compared with the waiting list condition. |
Abstract
Psychological Mindedness (PM) or the ability and motivation to describe and understand psychological processes has long been suspected to play a critical role in the effectiveness of psychological interventions. However, empirical research on the subject is scarce. This study thus set out to investigate how change in PM mediates the effect of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on perceived stress. The participants in this study (N = 147) were recruited via a newspaper advertisement for a intervention to reduce stress. They were randomized over a waiting list condition or a treatment condition where they received an eight week MBSR intervention. Participants filled in questionnaires regarding their trait mindfulness, PM and perceived stress before and after the eight weeks. Results indicated that change in PM fully mediated the relationship between condition and perceived stress. Those in the treatment condition showed a larger increase in PM which was also related to a larger decrease of perceived stress compared to the waiting list condition. We thus conclude that increasing insight in one?s own psychological processes is an important factor for the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |