Abstract
Building on previous research, this study compared the effects of two brief, online mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs; with and without formal meditation practice) and a no intervention control group in a non-clinical sample. One hundred and fifty-five university staff and students were randomly allocated to a 2-week, self-guided, online MBI with or without mindfulness meditation practice, or a wait list control. Measures of mindfulness, perceived stress, perseverative thinking and anxiety/depression symptoms within were administered before and after the intervention period. Intention to treat analysis identified significant differences between groups on change over time for all measured outcomes. Participation in the MBIs was associated with significant improvements in all measured domains (all ps < 0.05), with effect sizes in the small to medium range (0.25 to 0.37, 95% CIs 0.11 to 0.56). No significant changes on these measures were found for the control group. Change in perseverative thinking was found to mediate the relationship between condition and improvement on perceived stress and anxiety/depression symptom outcomes. Contrary to our hypotheses, no differences between the intervention conditions were found. Limitations of the study included reliance on self-report data, a relatively high attrition rate and absence of a longer-term follow-up. This study provides evidence in support of the feasibility and effectiveness of brief, self-guided MBIs in a non-clinical population and suggests that reduced perseverative thinking may be a mechanism of change. Our findings provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of a mindfulness psychoeducation condition, without an invitation to formal mindfulness meditation practice. Further research is needed to confirm and better understand these results and to test the potential of such interventions.
Highlights
Mindfulness has been described as Bthe awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment^ (Kabat-Zinn 2003, p. 145)
This study aims to contribute to the Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) literature (i) by testing the hypothesis that formal mindfulness meditation is an active ingredient of brief MBIs by using a component analysis design and (ii) by investigating the effects of these brief interventions on perseverative thinking—a proposed mechanism of effective MBIs
There was no significant difference in completion rate across groups (X2(2, n = 155) = 4.62, p = 0.06), a greater percentage of complete data sets were available for the wait list group (80%) than the mindfulness-intervention groups
Summary
Mindfulness has been described as Bthe awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment^ (Kabat-Zinn 2003, p. 145). Mindfulness has been described as Bthe awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment^ Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) teach individuals to observe, acknowledge, accept and decentre from thoughts, feelings and emotions that come into awareness, and do not aim to change direct experience (thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, etc.), but rather encourage a changed way of relating to it (Kabat-Zinn et al 1985; Shapiro et al 2006). Given the measured benefits of mindfulness, the possibility of extending the reach of MBIs through lower-intensity interventions has recently begun to be explored. Recent research findings suggest that alternative methods of offering MBIs, including web-based interventions (Spijkerman et al 2016) and self-help approaches (Cavanagh et al 2014) may hold promise
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