Mindfulness practice for protecting mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Julie Lei Zhu,Dayou Xi,Rasmus Schülke,Deniz Vatansever,Jianfeng Feng,Junjie Yan,Shouyan Wang,Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian,Xiaohua Xie,Hanqing Zhao,Mark Yuting Chen

doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01459-8

Abstract

Emerging evidence shows that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is negatively affecting mental health around the globe. Interventions to alleviate the psychological impact of the pandemic are urgently needed. Whether mindfulness practice may protect against the harmful emotional effects of a pandemic crisis remains hitherto unknown. We investigated the influence of mindfulness training on mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. We hypothesized that mindfulness practitioners might manifest less pandemic-related distress, depression, anxiety, and stress than non-practitioners and that more frequent practice would be associated with an improvement in mental health during the pandemic. Therefore, we assessed pandemic-related distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as the frequency of meditation practice at the peak of new infections (Feb 4–5; N = 673) and three weeks later (Feb 29–30; N = 521) in mindfulness practitioners via online questionnaires. Self-reported symptoms were also collected from non-practitioners at peak time only (N = 1550). We found lower scores of pandemic-related distress in mindfulness practitioners compared to non-practitioners. In general, older participants showed fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety. In younger practitioners, pandemic-related distress decreased from peak to follow-up. Importantly, increased mindfulness training during the preceding two weeks was associated with lower scores of depression and anxiety at both assessments. Likewise, practice frequency predicted individual improvement in scores of depression, anxiety, and stress at follow-up. Our results indicate that mindfulness meditation might be a viable low-cost intervention to mitigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics.

Highlights

Mental disorders are a leading cause of disability with extensive socio-economic consequences
We investigated whether mindfulness practice under lockdown conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic might be associated with a change in mental health
Since emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic and the counter-measures it engendered have a considerable negative impact on mental health[12,15,16,17,18], it is crucial to identify scalable, low-cost interventions that can safeguard public mental health during this and future pandemic crises[9,25]

Summary

Introduction

Mental disorders are a leading cause of disability with extensive socio-economic consequences. Conditions such as major depressive and anxiety disorders have a considerable impact on large portions of the population, with estimated global prevalences of 4.4% and 3.6%, respectively, in 20151. A complex interaction of both biological and environmental influences gives rise to mental illness, a common risk factor that has long been. Global events like natural disasters, technological disasters, and terrorist acts severely increase the risk of depression across large populations[7], necessitating specific and wide-scale interventions to alleviate their impact on mental health[8,9]. A recent review found that quarantine measures may increase symptoms of acute and post-traumatic stress, depression, and anger[14]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion