Dimensions Of Mindfulness Research Articles

Organizational mindfulness, mindful organizing, and environmental and resource sustainability

AbstractThe research theorizes that environmental vulnerability can be minimized through mindfulness‐based strategies, and redesigning organizing processes, so that richer thinking is activated more quickly among greater number of people all of whom try to update their knowledge regardless of the knowledge source. It empirically evaluates the effects of organizational mindfulness and mindful organizing on resources and environmental sustainability. The model was tested in a very appropriate setting—Saudi Arabia, where increasing demand for and supply of energy culminates in unsustainable resources utilization and rise in greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental vulnerabilities. Data were collected from Saudi firms operating in the oil and gas sector and analyzed using SmartPLS software. The measurement and structural models were evaluated.The measurement model exhibits adequate model fit. The tests for the structural models show that four (of five) dimensions of organizational mindfulness (viz., commitment to resilience, deference to expertise, preoccupation with failure, and reluctance to simplify interpretations) and mindful organizing are significantly related at 5% significance level. Sensitivity to operations has no significant relationship with mindful organizing. Mindful organizing is significantly related to environmental and resources sustainability. Moreover, mindful organizing fully or partially mediates in the relationship between some of the dimensions of organizational mindfulness and environmental and resources sustainability. The study is one of the first to integrate mindfulness‐based approaches to sustainability and environmental research.

Acceptance and present-moment awareness in psychiatric disorders: Is mindfulness mood dependent?

The aim of the present study was to determine 1) whether deficits in two mindfulness dimensions (present-centered awareness and acceptance) were present in individuals with different psychiatric conditions and 2) whether co-existing depressive symptoms affected the mindfulness-related capacities in these groups. A total of 246 individuals, both clinical and non-clinical participants, were included in this study. The clinical sample consisted of 162 individuals; of these, 43 had a diagnosis of cocaine dependence while the remaining 119met clinical criteria for eating disorders (n = 43), major depressive disorder in remission (n = 39), and borderline personality disorder (n = 45). A non-clinical (NC) community sample consisting of 76 individuals was included as a control group. All participants completed self-report instruments to assess present-centered awareness, acceptance, and depressive symptoms. Present-centered awareness scores were significantly associated with depressive symptoms but not with the diagnostic group. By contrast, a significant effect of depressive symptoms and diagnostic group was associated with acceptance scores, with all clinical groups presenting significantly lower scores than the NC sample. These findings suggest that the association between psychopathology, mindfulness, and depressive symptoms varies depending on the specific aspect of mindfulness aspect (i.e., awareness or acceptance) evaluated.

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Self-Care Curriculum for an Interprofessional Group of Palliative Care Providers.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions for health care providers have shown benefits for provider wellbeing and for their patients, but established programs are time-intensive. Objective: To establish the feasibility of a brief mindfulness-based curriculum focused on self-care for an interprofessional group of palliative care providers within the regular workday, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum in improving the levels of burnout, mindfulness, use of mindfulness meditation practices, and stress levels. Design: Pre-, one-week post-, and seven-month post-intervention survey assessment. The intervention was conducted in five monthly one-hour sessions. Setting: Participants were 29 mixed-professional-background usual-attendees of a monthly educational conference in a well-established palliative care group within an academic medical center. Measurements: Paired, confidential assessments using validated scales (the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Ten-item Perceived Stress Scale), report of use of informal and formal mindfulness techniques, narrative data, and satisfaction ratings. Results: Participants reported high satisfaction with the series and showed statistically significant improvements in dimensions of mindfulness and mindfulness practices, sustained for seven months. Burnout levels in this group were much lower than reported national rates; no statistically significant change was seen in burnout over the study period. Narrative data demonstrated retention of curricular content. Conclusions: Delivery of a mindfulness-based self-care series to an interprofessional group of palliative care providers within the regular workday was feasible, well received, and associated with increased mindfulness levels, mindfulness practices, and knowledge.

Mindfulness, Experiential Avoidance, and Recovery From Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Mood disturbance, pain, and fatigue are prevalent and distressing concerns for patients with hematologic cancer recovering from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The way in which individuals approach difficult thoughts and emotions may affect symptoms and functioning. Specifically, mindfulness has been associated with more optimal psychological and physical functioning, whereas experiential avoidance has been associated with poorer outcomes. The primary objective was to determine whether mindfulness and experiential avoidance measured prior to HSCT were associated with recovery of psychological and physical functioning following HSCT. We also evaluated dimensions of mindfulness to determine which were most robustly associated with outcomes. Participants completed measures of mindfulness and experiential avoidance prior to HSCT. Depression and anxiety symptoms and pain and fatigue interference with daily activities were assessed prior to HSCT and 1, 3, and 6 months post-HSCT. Participants who reported better ability to describe their internal experiences and who were better able to act with awareness experienced less depression, anxiety, and fatigue interference following HSCT. Participants who were nonjudgmental and nonreactive toward thoughts and emotions experienced less depression and anxiety following HSCT, but these traits were not associated with pain or fatigue interference. Being a good observer of internal experiences was not associated with outcomes, nor was experiential avoidance. Results suggest that most facets of mindfulness may optimize psychological functioning following HSCT, and the ability to describe one's internal experience and to focus on the present moment may have a beneficial influence on physical functioning.

The relationship between mindfulness, spiritual well‐being and chronic depression: Different predictors in distinct phases of treatment

AbstractObjectiveThis study sought to analyse the relationship between mindfulness, spiritual well‐being and chronic depression, together with the possible predictive power of the independent variables, during and after a therapeutic intervention. Clients were treated in a residential therapeutic unit for a period of 3–6 months.MethodThe research sample consisted of 63 patients, 28 females and 35 males, between 15 and 57 years old (M = 32.84, SD = 10.24), separated into two groups: residential phase (In‐Treatment) and after termination of treatment (Post‐Treatment). The In‐Treatment group included 32 participants halfway into treatment, and the Post‐Treatment group included 31 participants who had concluded the intervention at least 1 year previously. All the clients had been diagnosed with chronic depression disorder. The instruments used were as follows: the Beck Depression Inventory‐II, the Five facet mindfulness questionnaire and the spiritual well‐being questionnaire.ResultsMindfulness dimensions are more relevant during treatment, contrary to spiritual well‐being dimensions. There were significant negative associations between mindfulness and depression in the In‐Treatment group. In the Post‐Treatment group, there were significant negative associations between all the spiritual dimensions (barring the transcendental dimension) and depression. The non‐reactivity dimension of mindfulness was a significant predictor of depression in the In‐Treatment group, while the environmental dimension of spiritual well‐being was a significant predictor in the Post‐Treatment group.ConclusionThe results support the known associations between the studied variables, but indicate that in different phases of treatments, mindfulness and spiritual well‐being have a different impact.

Novice online educator conceptual frameworks: a mental model exploration of mindful learning design

ABSTRACTThis research study explores the relationship between the socio-cognitive concept of mindfulness and university educators’ learning design conceptualisations. The multi-method research strategy utilises a concept-mapping exercise to reveal learning designer mental models for comparison with Langer Mindfulness Scale scores and critical event interviews to further illuminate the conceptualisations and factors that impact educators’ thinking when designing online units. Research participants were asked to create a concept map of their learning design and to be mindful of concepts incorporated into a Graduate Certificate of Tertiary Education. The analysis highlights some congruence between educators’ mindfulness dimensions and their learning design conceptual frameworks. The mindfulness scores appear to indicate a propensity to be more mindful in designing curriculum, as indicated by participant concept maps, yet not necessarily towards the adaptive use of technology or learner/activity-based pedagogies. The authors suggest metacognitive strategies to encourage learning design reconceptualisation.

The role of state and trait positive affect and mindfulness in affective reactivity to pain in chronic migraine.

High affective reactivity to pain (i.e., increased negative affect in response to pain) can have an adverse impact on the well-being of individuals with chronic pain. The present study examined the role of momentary and average positive affect and trait mindfulness in protecting against affective reactivity to chronic migraine-related pain. The sample included 61 adults with chronic migraine. Following the experience sampling method, participants completed smartphone-based assessments of momentary pain intensity (PI), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) at nine random moments a day for 7 consecutive days. The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire was used to assess two dimensions of mindfulness: nonjudging and nonreactivity. Momentary PA inversely predicted the strength of the concurrent but not the time-lagged associations between PI and NA. Average PA predicted neither the strength of the concurrent nor the time-lagged associations between PI and NA. Furthermore, the concurrent associations between PI and NA were weaker in individuals who reported higher "nonjudging" while "nonreactivity" did not significantly moderate these associations. Results provide partial support for the dynamic model of affect in the context of chronic migraine. State PA seems to play a larger role in momentary affective reactivity to chronic migraine-related pain than trait PA. Results also suggest that the ability to take a nonjudgmental stance toward negative experiences may lower momentary affective reactivity to pain. These factors seem promising targets for interventions aimed at improving the well-being of individuals with chronic migraine. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The Emphasis on the Present Moment in the Cultivation of Mindfulness

The objective of this article is to explore the relationship between the present moment and mindfulness practice in early Buddhism. Based on text-critical study, I begin with a brief look at the etymology of the term satipaṭṭhāna and then survey the mindfulness exercises found in the Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta and in at least one of its two Chinese Āgama parallels from the perspective of their relationship to the present moment. Exploring the same topic in relation to mindful eating leads me on to the memory dimension of mindfulness, in relation to which I argue that the temporal reference of memory to the past needs to be seen as only one dimension, rather than an exhaustive account of mindfulness. My overall conclusion is that the emphasis on the present-centeredness of mindfulness in contemporary MBIs has a precedent in early Buddhist thought, where a range of exercises described under the four establishments of mindfulness as well as the practice of mindful eating exhibit a similar concern with the present moment.

Effectiveness of Online Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Psychological Distress and the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation.

Online mindfulness-based intervention as a feasible and acceptable approach has received mounting attention in recent years, yet more evidence is needed to demonstrate its effectiveness. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of online mindfulness-based programs on psychological distress (depression and anxiety). The randomized controlled intervention design consisted of four conditions: group mindfulness-based intervention (GMBI), self-direct mindfulness-based intervention (SDMBI), discussion group (DG) and blank control group (BCG). The program lasted 8 weeks and a total of 76 participants completed the pre- and post-test. Results showed that participants in GMBI and SDMBI had significant pre- and post-test differences on mindfulness, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological distress, with medium to large effect sizes. In addition, ANCOVA results indicated significant effects of group membership on post-test scores of mindfulness, depression and anxiety when controlling the pretest scores, with medium to large effect sizes. The GMBI appeared to exert the greatest effects on outcome variables in comparison with other groups. In addition, changes in emotion regulation difficulties across groups could mediate the relationship between changes in mindfulness dimensions (Observing and Describing) and changes in psychological distress across groups. These results provided encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of online mindfulness-based interventions in reducing psychological distress, and the possible mediating role of emotion regulation, while also underlining the importance of group discussion in online mindfulness-based interventions.

Difficulties with emotion regulation, mindfulness, and substance use disorder severity: the mediating role of self-regulation of attention and acceptance attitudes

ABSTRACTBackground: Theoretical frameworks postulate that mindfulness represents a relevant therapeutic process in substance use disorders (SUDs), especially in treating difficulties with emotion regulation (DER). Nonetheless, it remains unclear how mindfulness dimensions, particularly self-regulation of attention and acceptance attitudes, are implicated in the well-validated relationship between DER and SUDs. It is also uncertain whether mindfulness is considered a common protective factor for SUDs. Objectives: To investigate the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationships between DER and SUDs among treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Methods: Two related domains of mindfulness were evaluated: (a) self-regulation of attention (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, MAAS) and (b) acceptance attitudes (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, FFMQ, nonjudging, and nonreactivity subscales)). Two-hundred and forty-four (149 males and 95 females) participants with AUD were assessed. Mindfulness, DER, and SUD severity (alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other drugs) were assessed after a 2-week detoxification period. Three independent multiple parallel mediational models, controlling for the heterogeneity of sample characteristics, were proposed. Results: MAAS and FFMQ nonjudging were significant mediators of the relationship between DER and AUD severity. Mindfulness dimensions and DER were not related to other drug use disorders. DER represented a relevant factor in explaining the severity of benzodiazepine use disorder, although mindfulness was not significantly related to it. Conclusion: Mindfulness appears to be a protective factor for DER effects on AUD. Future research should evaluate additional dysfunctional processes to clarify how unique dimensions are implicated in the development and maintenance of different SUDs.

The Role of Mindfulness and Self Compassion toward Depression among Pregnant Women

Pregnant women tend to experience depression during pregnancy. This can affect mothers and babies’ health widely. Previous research has found that mindfulness and self-compassion can reduce depression in pregnant women in abroad, but it still no specific research on it in Indonesia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to see the relationship and also the role of mindfulness and self-compassion toward depression in pregnant women. Participants in this study were 121 pregnant women who lived in the area of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi. This study used Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) to measure mindfulness, Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) to measure self-compassion, and Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to measure depression in pregnant women. The results of this study showed that three dimensions of mindfulness (describing, acting with awareness, and non-judging) and self-compassion as a whole had a significant relationship with depression. Then the results of multiple regression tests conducted to get results that describing dimensions of mindfulness and self-compassion have a role to depression in pregnant women.

Mindfulness as a Moderator in the Relation Between Income and Psychological Well-Being.

The relation between income and life satisfaction has been found to be weak, albeit positive (r = 0.10–0.20). This study introduced psychological well-being (PWB) as a dependent variable predicted by income in addition to life satisfaction. Furthermore, individual differences might determine the strength of this relation, that is, act as moderators. Thus, this study introduced mindfulness as one such possible moderator. Participants (N = 800, 50% women, aged 20–59 years) completed an Internet questionnaire. Of them, 734 reported income and were included in the analyses. Income had weak, yet positive, zero-order correlations with life satisfaction and PWB (r = 0.13 and 0.11). Hierarchical regression controlling for demographics indicated that the relation between income and PWB was moderated by mindfulness facets. Specifically, among those low in not judging or describing of experiences, PWB was positively related to income. On the other hand, those high in these mindfulness dimensions indicated higher PWB irrespective of income.

Mindfulness, Construction of Meaning, and Sustainable Food Consumption

The ecological crisis and the related consequences for societies and nature calls for a change in individual consumption behavior. Empirical evidence has shown correlations between mindfulness and ecological behavior, pointing out the potential of mindfulness to support changes in behavior toward greater sustainability. Due to its ecological impact, the field of individual food consumption constitutes a central domain in environmentally relevant behavior. However, what is presently lacking is a differentiated view on various dimensions of mindfulness and their relation to sustainable food consumption and other important predictors of ecological behavior. The present study tests hypothesized relationships between five dimensions of mindfulness, the construction of meaning in life, sustainability-related meaning, personal ecological norm, and sustainable food consumption. A cross-sectional study was conducted, which included participants with and without the experience of meditation (N = 310). Structural equation modeling shows that only the mindfulness dimension acting with awareness has a direct and weak positive relation to sustainable food consumption (β = .11, p = .04) when construction of meaning, sustainability-related contents of meaning, and personal norms are included. Further, it was seen that observing (β = .45, p < .001) and describing (β = .21, p = .004) are positively related to construction of meaning, while non-judging against expectations has a negative relationship to construction of meaning (β = −.21, p = .004). Also, a serial mediation, with construction of meaning, sustainability-related meaning, and personal norm as mediators between observing and sustainable food consumption, was tested and confirmed. The results demonstrate the value of a differentiated view on the aspects of mindfulness with regard to sustainable food consumption.

Lectio for living: an exploration of mindful listening to poetic texts

ABSTRACTIn the ancient contemplative practice known as lectio divina, sacred texts were read slowly and carefully while listeners attended to the sounds of the performance. Rather than reading analytically for specific interpretations, participants in this mindful listening practice observed the sensory experience of sounds, allowing meanings to emerge in the mind of their own accord. Many mindfulness- and acceptance-based psychological interventions make use of similar poetry listening practices. This study examined state mindfulness among undergraduate students when listening to series of brief poetic texts. Several participant characteristics, including facets of dispositional mindfulness, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and compassion for others, were examined as potential predictors of both state mindfulness during the practice and the perceived value of mindful listening. The “observing” facet of dispositional mindfulness significantly predicted both the “decentering” and “curiosity” dimensions of state mindfulness. Qualitative analyses revealed participants’ perspectives concerning their engagement in the experiential practice.

Mindfulness and leadership flexibility

PurposeIn a context of great complexity, many authors have focused on the beneficial effects of leadership flexibility (Denison et al., 1995), a capacity theoretically associated with mindfulness. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the relationship between mindfulness and behavioral flexibility in leaders.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two samples: 100 active leaders from diverse economic sectors and 62 students pursuing an executive MBA degree.FindingsThe results show that mindfulness is positively associated with the overall score for leader flexibility, and with its two dualities: self-assertive and directive vs collaborative and supportive, and long-term strategy vs short-term execution. Specifically, four of the five dimensions of mindfulness (nonreactivity, nonjudging, acting with awareness and describing) were positively correlated with the overall flexibility score.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that by developing mindfulness, managers might be better able to adapt their leadership style to the demands of different situations. To that end, interventions based on mindfulness are worthwhile options for use within organizations, particularly in the context of leadership development programs.Originality/valueWhile most models of leadership assume a linear relationship between certain leadership behaviors and performance, other voices suggest that effective leaders need to possess great behavioral flexibility so that they can adapt with agility to the multiple needs of the people and situations around them. Few studies have examined the factors that may play a role in leadership flexibility.

The unique contribution of acceptance without judgment in predicting nonsuicidal self-injury after 20-weeks of dialectical behaviour therapy group skills training

The current research tested whether four dimensions of mindfulness – acceptance without judgment, observing, describing and acting with awareness – predicted frequency of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and mediate the relationship with NSSI outcomes during 20-weeks of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills training for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Eighty-four self-harming individuals with BPD were randomized to either DBT skills training or to a waitlist control group. A series of regressions revealed no relationship between dimensions of mindfulness and NSSI at baseline. There was a significant effect of DBT skills training on NSSI. As well, mediation analysis indicated that acceptance without judgment, specifically, mediated the relation between DBT skills training and change in frequency of NSSI.

The dimensions and mechanisms of mindfulness in regulating aggressive behaviors.

On the basis of the notion that the ability to exert self-control is critical to the regulation of aggressive behaviors, we suggest that mindfulness, an aspect of the self-control process, plays a key role in curbing workplace aggression. In particular, we note the conceptual and empirical distinctions between dimensions of mindfulness (i.e., mindful awareness and mindful acceptance) and investigate their respective abilities to regulate workplace aggression. In an experimental study (Study 1), a multiwave field study (Study 2a), and a daily diary study (Study 2b), we established that the awareness dimension, rather than the acceptance dimension, of mindfulness plays a more critical role in attenuating the association between hostility and aggression. In a second multiwave field study (Study 3), we found that mindful awareness moderates the association between hostility and aggression by reducing the extent to which individuals use dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies (i.e., surface acting), rather than by reducing the extent to which individuals engage in dysfunctional thought processes (i.e., rumination). The findings are discussed in terms of the implications of differentiating the dimensions and mechanisms of mindfulness for regulating workplace aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record

Correction to: Dimensions of Mindfulness and their Relations with Psychological Well-Being and Neuroticism

In the the sixth paragraph of the Results section (lines 2 and 4), indirect to direct should be indirect to total.

Mindfulness-related differences in neural response to own infant negative versus positive emotion contexts

Mindfulness is thought to promote well-being by shaping the way people respond to challenging social-emotional situations. Current understanding of how this occurs at the neural level is based on studies of response to decontextualized emotion stimuli that may not adequately represent lived experiences. In this study, we tested relations between mothers' dispositional mindfulness and neural responses to their own infant in different emotion-eliciting contexts. Mothers (n = 25) engaged with their 3-month-old infants in videorecorded tasks designed to elicit negative (arm restraint) or positive (peekaboo) emotion. During a functional MRI session, mothers were presented with 15-s clips from these recordings, and dispositional mindfulness scores were used to predict their neural responses to arm restraint > peekaboo videos. Mothers higher in nonreactivity showed relatively lower activation to their infants’ arm restraint compared to peekaboo videos in hypothesized regions—insula and dorsal prefrontal cortex—as well as non-hypothesized regions. Other mindfulness dimensions were associated with more limited areas of lower (nonjudgment) and higher (describing) activation in this contrast. Mothers who were higher in mindfulness generally activated more to the positive emotion context and less to the negative emotion context in perceptual and emotion processing areas, a pattern that may help to explain mindfulness-related differences in well-being.

Exploring the Link Between Mind Wandering, Mindfulness, and Creativity: A Multidimensional Approach

Even if mind wandering (MW) and mindfulness have traditionally been intended as separate and antithetical constructs, the roles of these 2 mental states on creative behavior were jointly explored in this article. In particular, MW was analyzed in light of a recent approach suggesting a differentiation between deliberate and spontaneous MW, whereas mindfulness was analyzed by distinguishing its 5 different constitutional dimensions: observing, acting with awareness, describing, nonreactivity, and nonjudging. The influence on creativity of these 2 mental states was analyzed using a sample of 77 undergraduate students both on a performance index (i.e., originality) and on a self-report index (i.e., creative achievement). Results showed that MW and mindfulness dimensions predicted creative behavior both alone and in combination, suggesting a complex interdependence between these 2 mental states within the creative thinking process. In particular, the critical importance of distinguishing between deliberate and spontaneous MW was revealed by a final path analysis, which revealed the opposite effects of these 2 dimensions on originality and creative achievement. That is, deliberate MW positively predicted creative performance, whereas spontaneous MW was negatively associated with such performance. Moreover, the nonreactivity and awareness dimensions of mindfulness, the latter in interaction with deliberate MW, emerged as main predictors of response originality. Finally, the describing facet of mindfulness predicted creative achievement both directly and indirectly through an interaction with deliberate MW. The implications emerging from the adoption of a multi-dimensional approach to the analysis of MW and mindfulness in the study of creativity are discussed herein.