Evaluating the Use of Mindfulness and Yoga Training on Forensic Inpatients: A Pilot Study.
Christina Spinelli, Etienne Paradis-Gagné, Megan Per, Matthew H Fleischmann, Viktoriya Manova, Aimée Wallace, Bassam Khoury
Frontiers in Psychiatry December 10, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.614409 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study (repeated measures) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Forensic inpatients at a Canadian forensic hospital (92% male) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness and yoga training program (MTP) |
| Duration | 8-week program with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Stress Yoga Forensic inpatients |
| Key points | The 8-week mindfulness and yoga program was associated with a significant increase in the describe facet of mindfulness and a significant decrease in perceived stress, both with large effect sizes, from baseline to post-intervention. These changes were not significant at 3-month follow-up, and no significant main effects were found for cognitive emotion regulation strategies. |
Abstract
Forensic inpatients (i. e., individuals found not responsible for a criminal offense on account of mental illness) represent an often marginalized and difficult-to-treat population. This has led to the need for research exploring the effectiveness of novel interventions. A Canadian forensic hospital has developed an 8-weeks mindfulness and yoga training program (MTP). This pilot study examined the potential effects of this program on patients' mindfulness, stress, and use of cognitive and emotion regulation strategies. A sample of 13 forensic inpatients (male = 92%) participating in the MTP program completed self-report measures assessing dispositional mindfulness, perceived stress, and use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies at baseline, post-intervention, and a 3-months follow-up. Repeated measure ANOVAs found a significant increase in the describe facet of mindfulness (p = 0.03) with a large effect size (ηp 2 = 0.26) and a significant decrease in stress (p = 0.003) with a large effect size (ηp 2 = 0.39). Pairwise comparisons revealed medium to large significant changes between baseline and post-intervention for both the describe facet (p = 0.03, Hedge's g = 0.55) and stress (p = 0.003, Hedge's g = 0.70). However, comparisons were insignificant between baseline and follow-up. No significant main effects were found on the use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies. This pilot study offers preliminary support for the use of the MTP as an adjunctive therapy in forensic inpatient treatment. Further investigation is needed into the long-term impacts of this training.
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
Cites 12
- 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
- Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine August 1, 2005
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Massachusetts Correctional Facilities The Prison Journal June 1, 2007
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation in Prison International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology August 28, 2015
and 7 more in the library