Dispositional Mindfulness and Autonomic Reactivity
Thomas Dylan Boyer
The Research Repository @ WVU 2026 DOI: 10.33915/etd.13188 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 47 |
| Population | Undergraduate students |
| Measures | systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), heart rate variability, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, visual analogue scales of stress, anger, and mindfulness, average reaction time, task response accuracy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Results largely failed to support the Monitor and Acceptance Theory. Monitoring and acceptance predicted recovery-period respiration in opposite directions (monitoring associated with increased respiration, acceptance with decreased respiration during recovery). Exploratory analyses found Acting with Awareness and Non-reactivity were each associated with increased diastolic blood pressure reactivity during the stressful task. |
Abstract
To explain how different facets of mindfulness were associated with task performance in distinctive ways, Lindsay and Creswell (2017) proposed the Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT). According to this model, the mindfulness facet of monitoring present state awareness was thought to influence task performance differently than the nonjudgmental acceptance facet of mindfulness, but no studies to date have examined this model with respect to an individual's physiological response to stressful tasks. Because dispositional mindfulness has been associated with both increased and decreased physiological and affective reactions to stress in previous studies, the present study tested whether the Monitoring facet of mindfulness was associated with exaggerated physiological reactivity to stress and the Acceptance facet of mindfulness was associated with attenuated stress reactions. Forty-seven undergraduate students were exposed to a simple choice reaction time task during which harassing statements were delivered. Physiological parameters of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and four measures of heart rate variability were obtained during rest, task, and recovery phases. Positive and negative affect, and visual analogue measures of stress, anger, and mindfulness, were also collected at rest and in response to the task. Average reaction time and task response accuracy were recorded as measures of task performance. A series of multiple and hierarchical regressions were performed to test relations between measures of physiological and affective reactivity to stress as well as task performance and physiological recovery from stress. Results largely failed to support the MAT model. However, monitoring and acceptance of the MAT significantly predicted recovery period respiration but in opposite directions; monitoring was associated with increased respiration during recovery while acceptance was related to decreased respiration during recovery. Secondary exploratory analyses found that two other facets of mindfulness (Acting with Awareness; Non-reactivity) were related to DBP reactivity to stress. For both facets, mindfulness was associated with increased DBP reactivity during the task period. Although these findings failed to support the MAT model, they provided some clues for conducting future research on other facets of mindfulness within the context of examining blood pressure responses to mental stress.
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 23
- 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
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Cultivating mindfulness: effects on well‐being Journal of Clinical Psychology May 16, 2008
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
and 18 more in the library