Mindfulness and Affect During Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Recurrent Depression: an Autoregressive Latent Trajectory Analysis

Marleen J Ter Avest,Anne E M Speckens,Tom F Wilderjans,Philip Spinhoven,Corina U Greven,Marloes J Huijbers

doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01453-z

Abstract

ObjectivesGaining knowledge of dynamic processes of mechanisms underlying mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression could help to improve treatment efficacy. The current study examined the overall course and week-to-week associations of mindfulness and positive/negative affect during MBCT for recurrent depression.MethodsUsing data from the MOMENT study, 235 patients with recurrent depression in (partial) remission allocated to MBCT were included. Prior to each MBCT session, self-reports were obtained on mindfulness, positive affect, and negative affect.ResultsAutoregressive latent trajectory (ALT) modeling revealed that, across the MBCT course, larger increases in mindfulness were associated with larger increases in positive affect (r = .80, p < .050). Higher general levels of negative affect were associated with smaller increases in mindfulness over time (r = −.26, p < .001). Week-to-week effects showed no reciprocal cross-lagged effects between mindfulness and positive affect or negative affect, except for positive affect at session 2 which was positively associated with mindfulness at session 3 (r = .11, p < .050).ConclusionsThe current study supports a positive association in strength of increase between mindfulness and positive affect, while higher general levels of negative affect might be associated with smaller increases of mindfulness during MBCT for recurrent depression. For future research, experience sampling methods (ESMs) are recommended to capture dynamics on a smaller time scale. ALT modeling techniques are advised to be better able to interpret the processes of stability and change during MBCT for recurrent depression.

Highlights

The results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was associated with increased experience of momentary positive affect compared to waitlist control (Geschwind et al 2011)
Mindfulness and positive affect steadily increased over the intervention period, while negative affect showed a more irregular course
Mindfulness had high autocorrelations between the weekly sessions, whereas these autocorrelations were moderate for positive affect and negative affect

Summary

Results

The descriptive statistics of and correlations between all studied variables are presented in Supplementary Material 2, Tables 2.1 and 2.2. A positive covariance was observed between both intercepts (ΨαMFN;αPA 1⁄4 :077, SE = .031, p = .013) and between both slopes (ΨβMFN;βPA 1⁄4 :002, SE = .001, p = .047) This indicates that participants with higher general levels of mindfulness showed higher general levels of positive affect. S1 observed variable of the first session, MFN mindfulness, PA positive affect, NA negative affect (logarithmic transformed) ns p ≥ .050; *p < .050; **p < .010; ***p < .001. A negative covariance was observed between the intercept for negative affect and the slope for mindfulness (ΨβMFN;αNA 1⁄4 −:001, SE = .001, p = .036), which suggests that patients with higher general levels of negative affect showed smaller increases in mindfulness over the MBCT course. The level of mindfulness at a certain session did not predict the level of negative affect at the session or vice versa

Participants

Procedures

Discussion

Limitations and Future