The impact of participation in a mindfulness-based intervention on posttraumatic stress symptomatology among Black women: A pilot study.

Abstract

Objective: Women, racial/ethnic minorities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups experience trauma and PTSD at a rate of up to four times the U.S. national average. The aim of the present study is to assess the association between participation in a mindfulness-based intervention delivered in a community health center and posttraumatic stress symptoms among socioeconomically disadvantaged, Black women with trauma histories. We hypothesized that participants would experience a significant reduction in trauma symptom severity from pre- to post-intervention. Method: Women were recruited from a community health center on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Participants completed self-report measures of trauma symptoms, mindfulness, depression, and stress. Pre/postintervention differences in symptom severity were analyzed with paired sample t tests and independent sample t tests. Results: A total of 36 women with trauma symptom data were assessed. There was a significant reduction of trauma symptom severity from baseline to end of treatment. A minority of participants endorsed slightly higher symptomatology at the end of treatment. Women whose trauma symptom severity increased were less symptomatic overall to begin treatment; they had significantly lower trauma and depressive symptom severity at baseline. Conclusions: Socioeconomically disadvantaged, Black women with moderate to severe trauma symptoms benefited from a mindfulness-based intervention delivered in a community health care setting. While some women with mild trauma symptoms may have become more aware of their symptoms through an intervention designed to increase awareness of thoughts and feelings, most women experienced a decrease in trauma symptom severity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).