Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Research Articles

COVID-19 Pandemic and Internet Addiction in Young Adults: A Pilot Study on Positive and Negative Psychosocial Correlates.

During and after the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic period, a strain was put on young adults who have taken refuge in the problematic use of internet, social media, gaming, and gambling. This paper aims to investigate possible correlates of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), hypothesizing anxiety, depression and perceived stress would promote addiction, while mindfulness skills, resilience and socialization would, conversely, hamper IAD, and promote, consequently, a more functional internet use. A pilot study was carried out with a sample of 31 young adults, recruited through a snowball sampling using social networks. Participants filled out an online questionnaire including the following measures: Internet Use, Abuse and Addiction (UADI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II); State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y); Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ); Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS); Resilience Scale (RS-14). It was also administered an ad hoc questionnaire for the assessment of socialization behaviour (6 items) and gambling (2 items). All the measures, but socialization, showed adequate reliability. Our sample showed high levels of anxiety, stress, IA and gambling, while presenting low levels of resilience, the mindful skill of no-reactivity and socialization. The first hypothesis was confirmed, finding positive and significant correlations between Internet Addiction on one side and PSS, STAI-Y1, STAY-2, and BDI II on the other side. We also partially confirmed the second hypothesis about UADI negatively correlated with both RS-14 and Mindful Acting. Finally, no correlations were found between Gambling and IA. In conclusion, the more one perceives an emotional overload with less stress-control, high anxiety, and depression, and the less one can leverage on the skills of mindful acting and resilience, the more one uses the internet as a strategy to escape from a threatening reality.

Positive-Negative Affectivity and Decision Making Among Mindfulness Meditators and Non-Meditators

Mindfulness has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential benefits for
 cognitive and emotional processes. However, how mindfulness interplays with affect to exert its
 effect on decision-making remains relatively less explored. The present study examined and
 compared the performance of both mindfulness meditators and non-meditators on decisionmaking
 tasks under different affective states. A total of 100 participants (50 mindfulness meditators
 and 50 non-meditators) responded to the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and
 performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Both groups were further divided into positive affect
 and negative affect conditions. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) was used to
 induce positive and negative affective states among the participants. The baseline affective state
 of the participants was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
 Independent sample t-tests and a univariate ANOVA were computed to analyze the obtained
 data. Results showed that mindfulness meditators scored significantly higher on the total FFMQ
 as well as on its different facets. Furthermore, the results revealed a significant main effect of
 mindfulness and the affect group on IGT performance. The interaction between mindfulness and
 affective conditions was also found to be significant. Mindfulness meditators performed equally
 well on IGT under both positive and negative affect conditions, whereas non-meditators
 performed better only under positive affect conditions. The findings have practical implications,
 as they suggest that mindfulness meditation enhances decision-making by promoting effective
 emotion regulation and suppressing impulsive responses during decision-making in different
 domains of life.

MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) TERHADAP PENURUNAN BURNOUT PADA PERAWAT

ABSTRACT: Nurse is one of the professions engaged in the health sector and has a high intensity to deal directly with patients. The many responsibilities, the high complexity of the work and the demands that must be carried out by nurses make the nursing profession vulnerable to stress and burnout at work. This study aims to determine the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing burnout in nurses at "X" Hospital, Bandung City. This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) as a manipulation check. This study uses an experimental method to look for the effect of intervention mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) as the independent variable to reduced burnout as the dependent variable. The results showed that there was a significant effect of mindfulness-based interventions through the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) method on reducing burnout in burnout nurses at "X" Hospital, Bandung City.

Mindfulness and its relationship to academic achievement among university students

The primary objective of this study was to assess the degree of mindfulness among university students based on their gender and academic achievement level. To accomplish this, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) was employed, consisting of 39 items categorized into five factors: observation, description, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity. The questionnaire was initially translated into Arabic and applied to a pilot sample of 60 male and female students to assess item characteristics and verify the validity and reliability of the scale. Following the finalization of the questionnaire, it was administered to a cluster sample of 489 male and female students from public universities. The results indicated a moderate level of mindfulness across all five domains, with no significant gender differences. Furthermore, the study revealed that students with higher academic achievement displayed greater mindfulness. However, the relationship between mindfulness and academic achievement was weak, explaining less than 1% of the variance in academic performance.

Impact of Heartfulness meditation practice on anxiety, perceived stress, well-being, and telomere length.

Exhaustion, stress, and burnout have all been found to be reduced using techniques like yoga and meditation. This study was carried out to check the effectiveness of Heartfulness practice (a form of meditation) on certain psychological and genetic variables. A total of 100 healthy individuals (aged 18-24) were recruited and randomized into two groups-Heartfulness intervention and control group. The intervention was carried out for 03 months. Participants from both groups were analysed for their cortisol levels and telomere length before and after the intervention. Psychometric measures of anxiety, perceived stress, well-being and mindfulness were carried out using Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), WHO-Well-being Index (WHO-WBI) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The cortisol levels in the meditators group significantly decreased (p < 0.001) after the intervention as compared to the non-meditators group, whereas, the telomere length increased in the mediators group. This increase was not significant (p > 0.05). Anxiety and perceived stress also decreased post intervention, and well-being as well as mindfulness increased, as assessed by the questionnaire tools, although the decrease in perceived stress was statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). A negative correlation was observed between telomere length and cortisol (stress biomarker), whereas a positive correlation was found between telomere length and well-being. Our data provide evidence that Heartfulness meditation practice can improve our mental health. Additionally, telomere length is shown to be affected by cortisol levels, and this meditation practice can also help to increase telomere length, and thereby slow down cellular aging. However, future studies with larger sample size are required to confirm our observations.

Moderating effect of mindfulness on the relationship between anxiety and somatization symptoms in middle-aged and elderly female patients with hypertension.

To explore the moderating effect of mindfulness on the relationship between anxiety and somatization symptoms in middle-aged and elderly female patients with hypertension and provide a foundation for the development of more effective mindfulness intervention strategies. A total of 109 middle-aged and elderly female patients with hypertension participated in this cross-sectional study from April to July 2022 and provided valid responses to the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Somatization Symptom Self-rating Scale (SSS). The moderating effect of mindfulness was determined using multiple linear regression. The participants' average scores were as follows: mindfulness: 123.86±10.49; anxiety: 7.41±3.62; and somatization symptoms: 41.2±9.44. The anxiety (P=.000) and somatization symptoms (P=.001) of participants with high mindfulness were significantly reduced. Anxiety was positively correlated with somatization symptoms (r=0.606, P=.000), while mindfulness was negatively correlated with both anxiety (r=-0.468, P=.000) and somatization symptoms (r=-0.439, P=.000). Moreover, mindfulness had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between anxiety and somatization symptoms (n=109) (B=-0.166, t=-2.125, P=.036). The effect of mindfulness on anxiety and somatization symptoms was more significant in participants with low mindfulness levels (n=56) (B=0.144, t=2.805, P=.008) than in participants with high mindfulness levels (n=53) (B=-0.037, t=-0.864, P=.393). The moderating effect analysis based on regression analysis showed that mindfulness had a significant moderating effect on anxiety and somatization symptoms, especially in participants with low mindfulness levels.

Mediating effects of future time perspective on the relationship between mindfulness and learning burnout in college students: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

With the rise of positive psychology, educators gradually pay attention to the construction of psychological capital of college students. Mindfulness is linked to learning burnout; however, little research has examined how mindfulness is associated with learning burnout via future time perspective. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between mindfulness state, future time perspective and learning burnout of college students, and explore the mediating effect of future time perspective on mindfulness and learning burnout. A cross-sectional design was used. A total of 358 college students were enrolled from Harbin Medical university. General information questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the learning burnout scale and The Future Time Perspective Scale were used for investigation. Calculations were performed using SPSS Statistics, version 25. There was negative correlation between positive mindfulness and learning burnout (r = -0.41, P < .01), and positive correlation between future time perspective and mindfulness (r = 0.38, P < .01), and negative correlation with learning burnout (r = -0.37, P < .01). Furthermore, future time perspective (β = -0.40, P < .01) had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between mindfulness and learning burnout. Educators should improve the mindfulness of college students by developing and implementing future time perspective, in order to improve their learning burnout.

The Relationship between Mindfulness and Readiness to Change in Alcohol Drinkers

Mindfulness is a multi-faceted construct that involves paying attention to thoughts and emotions without automatically reacting and being critical of them. Recent research has suggested that mindfulness might play an important role in reducing problematic alcohol use. Further, Readiness to Change (RTC) is related to motivation to change drinking behaviours. The RTC scale identifies motivation to change drinking behaviours including Precontemplation, Contemplation, and Action stages. The current study investigated, for the first time, the relationship between mindfulness (and its facets) and RTC in relation to drinking behaviours. Undergraduate students from Western Sydney University (N = 279) were screened for drinking levels using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and then completed the Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RCT) and the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), which includes the following facets: Acting with Awareness, Non-Judging of Inner Experience, Non-Reactivity to Inner Experience, Describing, and Observing. Results show that overall, mindfulness and its facets negatively correlated with RTC. Multiple regression analysis further showed that Awareness and Non-Judgement facets negatively predicted RTC. These findings provide insight into how the facets of mindfulness interact with the drinking motives of individuals and their intentions to change drinking behaviours. Based on these findings, we recommend the incorporation of mindfulness techniques in interventions targeting problematic drinking.

An Experimental Prospective Study on Effectiveness of Brief Heartfulness-Based Start ‘U’p Program on Anxiety and Perceived Stress in Allied Health Students

Abstract Aim and Objectives Health care education is an important issue in the development of countries. Stress and anxiety among health care students and workers are an area of increasing concern worldwide. Meditative practices have been shown to improve overall wellness. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and feasibility of a brief Heartfulness-Based Start ‘U’p program to reduce anxiety and perceived stress in allied health students of Mahatma Gandhi Mission School of Biomedical Sciences (MGMSBS), Mahatma Gandhi Mission Institute of Health Sciences (MGMIHS), Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The objective of this study was first to study the prevalence of anxiety and perceived stress in allied health students of MGMSBS, MGMIHS, Navi Mumbai, and then to study the effect of heartfulness meditation on measures of said emotional wellness. Methods Seven sessions of Start ‘U’p Heartfulness Meditation of 2-hour duration once in every week was held over the course of 7 weeks. Two hundred and three participants enrolled for the heartfulness intervention. Changes in stress levels, anxiety levels, and mindfulness skills were assessed. Three self-reporting questionnaire tools—Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)—were used to determine the categorical scales (low, medium, and high) for anxiety and stress among students from baseline to post-intervention. Results Our study revealed an improvement in anxiety and perceived stress post-intervention of brief Heartfulness-Based Start ‘U’p Program. Out of 203 students in this study, 75.86% were female and 24.14% were male. Students' BAI scores dropped an average of 2.91 points, whereas PSS scores dropped an average of 1.61 points. The largest increase in mindfulness was seen for nonjudging, with an average increase of 2.1 points (p ≤ 0.05) in categorical data from pre- to post-intervention based on the FFMQ tool. Conclusion Our results indicate that heartfulness meditation practice offers an accessible and efficient method by which students' anxiety and stress can be improved. This may also improve their engagement in learning-oriented approaches and class activities.

Understanding the Environmental Attitude-Behaviour Gap: The Moderating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness

Great scientific effort has been devoted to understanding what drives pro-environmental behaviour, yet the question of the environmental attitude–behaviour gap remains unanswered. Studies have indicated that self-regulation and executive functions may reduce such a gap by increasing individuals’ ability to maintain attention on present actions and to resist goal-conflicting temptations. Given the inherent association of self-regulation and executive functions with dispositional mindfulness, we carried out a cross-sectional study to test the hypothesis of the role of dispositional mindfulness in explaining the phenomenon. Our results showed that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, measured via the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), are related to a higher tendency to perform pro-environmental behaviour, and that the observing facet of the construct would predict higher pro-environmental behaviour scores. Interestingly, we also found the acting with awareness and nonjudging factors to be moderators of the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, suggesting that enhanced awareness of the present moment may favour higher congruence between attitudes and behaviours, and that higher acceptance may favour more adaptive coping strategies to the climate challenge. Our findings provide a novel contribution to the understanding of the relationship between mindfulness and pro-environmental behaviour and support the perspective that self-regulation skills would contribute to reducing the environmental attitude–behaviour gap.

Web-Based Physical Activity Interventions to Promote Resilience and Mindfulness Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study.

College students faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implementing a physical activity intervention can help support the physical and mental health of college students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an aerobic-strength training exercise intervention (WeActive) and a mindful exercise intervention (WeMindful) in improving resilience and mindfulness among college students. Seventy-two students from a major public university in the Midwest participated in a two-arm experimental study over the course of ten weeks. One week before and after the 8-week interventions, participants completed the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-15), Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and demographic and background questionnaire via Qualtrics. Both groups also participated in bi-weekly Peer Coaching sessions, which utilized reflective journaling and goal-setting exercises. ANCOVA showed a significant main effect of time for total mindfulness score (F = 5.177, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.070), mindfulness Acting with Awareness (F = 7.321, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.096), and mindfulness Non-Judging of Inner Experience (F = 5.467, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.073). No significant main effect of group and interaction effects of time with group were observed for the total mindfulness and the five facets of mindfulness as well as resilience. In addition, no significant main effect of time for resilience was found. We conclude that aerobic-strength exercises and mindful yoga exercises, together with reflective journaling, may be effective in increasing mindfulness in the college population.

Adaptation and validation of the short five-factor mindfulness questionnaire (POM-15)

Introduction. Mindfulness, that is, holistic awareness and attentive presence, is becoming widespread in everyday life and clinical practice. The mindfulness approach is helpful in managing stress, somatic complaints, anxiety, depression, burnout, and traumatic experiences as well as in preventing PTSD, therefore the development and adaptation of tools to measure and assess mindfulness approach effectiveness is apparently relevant. Aim: to make known the results of the adaptation of the Ukrainian version of the short Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ - 15), developed by R. Baer et al. (called in Ukrainian PОМ-15). Methods. The adaptation of POM-15 was conducted as part of the adaptation of the full version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) - POM-39, whose five-factor scales were formed from the original long version of the POM-39 questionnaire and included observation, description, conscious action, non-judgment, and non-reactivity scales. Results. All PОМ-15 scales showed good internal consistency (with Cronbach's alpha coefficients being from 0.71 to 0.94) while the POM-15 construct reliability and the ability to differentiate the dynamics of changes as a result of therapy and training were confirmed. Conclusions. A small number of questions and short time needed to answer them as well as the ease of processing the results and their reliability make POM-15 convenient and effective in both clinical and non-clinical practice.

Increased Effect Sizes in a Mindfulness- and Yoga-Based Intervention After Adjusting for Response Shift with Then-Test

ObjectivesResponse shift refers to variations in self-reported evaluations at different times from changes in one’s internal standards, values, and meanings. The current study explored the utility of the then-test to detect a potential mindfulness-based response shift occurrence during a mindfulness- and yoga-based intervention for student musicians, and to ascertain to what extent effect sizes could differ when adjusting for it.MethodParticipants (n = 31) completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) halfway through the intervention (Time 1-FFMQ), post-intervention (Time 2-FFMQ), and immediately after Time 2-FFMQ with a then-test approach that asked participants to rate the FFMQ based on retrospective reflections on their mindfulness at Time 1 (then-test-FFMQ). Paired t-tests and Hedges’ g effect sizes were computed to estimate three potential effects: response shift (Time 1-FFMQ minus then-test-FFMQ), the conventional intervention effect (Time 2-FFMQ minus Time 1-FFMQ), and the effect after adjusting for response shift (i.e., actual intervention effect = Time 2-FFMQ minus then-test-FFMQ).ResultsResponse shift was significant for the FFMQ Observe subscale (g = 0.41) and total scale (g = 0.37). The adjusted scores in all subscales (Observe, g = 0.47; Describe, g = 0.25; Act Aware, g = 0.40; Non-judge, g = 0.28; Non-react, g = 0.57) and total scale (g = 0.60) achieved significance and yielded larger effect sizes than the conventional results, for which only Act Aware (g = 0.28), Non-react (g = 0.36), and total scale (g = 0.28) were significant.ConclusionsNotwithstanding some methodological limitations, this study lends support to the utility of the then-test to quantify response shift. When adjusting for it, effect sizes from a mindfulness- and yoga-based intervention were generally amplified.PreregistrationThis study was not preregistered.

Effect of mnemonics enhanced tutorial on chemistry education students’ achievement and mindfulness in a university

This study elicits the effect of mnemonics tutorial method (MTM) on academic achievement and mindfulness among chemistry education students of Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano. Quasi-experimental design was employed. The University has 1,002 chemistry education students, which formed the study population. However, intact class of level 200 containing 250 students with an average age of 20 years was sampled for the study. Five-facet mindfulness questionnaire with the reliability coefficient of 0.85 and the students’ academic records were used as data collection instruments. Research questions were answered through mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using t-test and analysis of variance. By the end of level 200, MTM was found to have improved the students’ academic achievement, saved over 50% of the students on probation from dropping out of the university and drastically increased students’ mindfulness. Consequently, MTM is hereby recommended for the teaching of chemistry education students not only in Nigerian universities, but globally to save the students on probation from becoming a university’s drop-outs.

Mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia alleviates insomnia, depression, and cognitive arousal in treatment-resistant insomnia: A single-arm telemedicine trial

ObjectivesCognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy are effective insomnia treatments, yet half of patients do not remit. Emerging evidence indicates refractory cognitive arousal is associated with poor insomnia treatment outcomes, giving rise to the concept that therapeutic approaches directly aimed at reducing cognitive arousal may benefit patients with a history of inadequate response to intervention. This proof-of-concept study examined the effects of mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia (MBTI) delivered individually via telemedicine on insomnia, depression, and cognitive arousal in patients with treatment-resistant insomnia.MethodsA single-arm trial wherein 19 patients whose insomnia did not remit with prior psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy received a course of MBTI as second-stage therapy, which included eight weekly 1-h sessions in an individual format via telemedicine video. Study outcomes included the 15-item version of the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ-15), insomnia severity index (ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to assess depression (PHQ-9), and three cognitive arousal indices: pre-sleep arousal scale's cognitive factor, perseverative thinking questionnaire, and the daytime insomnia symptom response scale.ResultsPatients reported increased mindfulness from pretreatment to posttreatment (FFMQ-15: 52.95 ± 8.30 to 57.47 ± 9.82, p = 0.008). Patients also reported large reductions in ISI (16.42 ± 3.95 to 8.37 ± 4.19, p &amp;lt; 0.001, Cohen's dz = 1.73; 57.9% remission), PHQ-9 (6.42 ± 3.47 to 3.32 ± 2.93, p = 0.001, Cohen's dz = 0.93), and all cognitive arousal indices (Cohen's dzs = 0.82–1.30) at posttreatment. Six months later, ISI scores and cognitive arousal levels remained significantly lower than pretreatment, although effect sizes decreased for ISI (Cohen's dz = 1.11) and cognitive arousal (Cohen's dzs = 0.63–0.68). Antidepressant effects were no longer significant at follow-up.ConclusionTreatment-resistant insomnia patients are engaged in MBTI, which produces large acute reductions in insomnia, depression, and cognitive arousal. MBTI effects on insomnia and cognitive arousal were moderate to large 6 months after treatment. These findings support the concept and feasibility of MBTI for treatment-resistant patients along with indication that longer-term strategies are needed to help maintain acute treatment gains.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03724305.

Mindfulness, Attention, and Impulsivity in Bipolar Disorder

IntroductionBipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by mood instability1. BD is further related to neurocognitive and functional disruptions that remain remarkably stable even when patients are euthymic, leading to poor well-being and quality of life. Mindfulness means paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and involves different facets such as observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reacting of inner experience. It remains unclear whether mindfulness and its specific facets are differentially associated with different aspects of attention and trait impulsivity in individuals with BD.ObjectivesTo examine associations between different mindfulness facets, and different aspects of attention and trait impulsivity in BD.MethodsThis study was approved by the Hospital Clínic Ethics and Research Board (HCB/2017/0432). After informed consent, 94 outpatients, M age = 45.57, SD = 9.8, range 19-61 years, 41.5% Male, 63.8% BD-I according to DSM-5 criteria, in partial or total remission based on Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS; M = 1.81, SD = 2.11) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS; M = 5.46, SD = 3.71) were enrolled in this study. Participants were evaluated using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) to assess Mindfulness, the Trail Making Test (TMT-A) and the Conner’s Continuous Performance test (CPT-II) to assess Attention, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) to assess Impulsivity. Pearson correlations were performed, and statistical significance was evaluated two-sided at the 5% threshold.ResultsMindfulness-Describing was negatively associated with Cognitive and Non-Planning Impulsivity (r = -.43 and -.28, p &lt; .001), Mindfulness-Acting with Awareness was negatively associated with Cognitive, Motor and Non-Planning Impulsivity (r = -.27 to -.45, p &lt; .001), Mindfulness Non-Judging (r = -.33 and -.34, p &lt; .001) and Non-Reacting (r = -.30 and -.46, p &lt; .001) of inner experience were negatively associated with Cognitive and Motor Impulsivity. No associations were found between neither Mindfulness nor Impulsivity with any aspects of Attention.ConclusionsPreliminary findings suggest that better performance in specific facets of mindfulness (describing, acting with awareness, non-judging or reacting of inner experience) may be related to a decrease in different aspects of trait impulsivity. Further longitudinal and interventional research is needed on underlying mechanisms. Nonetheless, our study suggests the need for including mindfulness-based approaches to improve behavioral and functional outcomes for those with BD.FundingThis work was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (EU.3.1.3. Treating and managing disease: Grant 945151), CIBERSAM, FIS PI17/00941 ISCIII, European Regional Development Fund.

Beyond Mindfulness Assessed by Questionnaires: The Mindful-Breathing Exercise as an Additional Approach in PTSD and Depression

ObjectivesDespite various methodological concerns, previous studies mainly use questionnaires to assess mindfulness. Following a multi-measurement approach, the present study aimed to evaluate the added value of an experience-sampling measure in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.MethodData were collected in a PTSD group, depression group, and control group (each n = 33). The Mindful-Breathing Exercise (MBE) was used as an experience-sampling method and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) as a mindfulness questionnaire. Clinical variables included PTSD and depressive symptoms.ResultsScores from the MBE and the FFMQ were positively correlated in the control group (r = 0.48) and the depression group (r = 0.28), while a non-significant correlation emerged for the PTSD group. On the level of FFMQ facets, results were heterogeneous among the three groups. The MBE predicted hyperarousal (β = − 0.41) and intrusions (β = − 0.32) in the PTSD group, whereas the FFMQ predicted depressive symptoms in the depression group (β = − 0.41) and the control group (β = − 0.65). Compared to the control group, the PTSD group (d = 1.88) and the depression group (d = 1.67) demonstrated lower FFMQ scores. In terms of the MBE, there was a trend towards higher scores in the control group than either clinical group.ConclusionsFindings hint at conceptual overlaps and distinctive features of both measurement approaches. With respect to the clinical context, results suggest an added value of the MBE to questionnaire-based assessments of mindfulness with respect to its predictive value for hyperarousal and intrusions.PreregistrationThis study is not pre-registered.

Pre-Service Teahers’ Use of Mobile-Based Mindfulness Practices During Covid-19 Pandemic Era

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where they are and what they are doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going around them. The growing evidence of the use of mindfulness practice on promoting psychological wellbeing and self-regulation is in line with the increasing use of mobile applications in this digital era nowadays especially during the COVID-19 pandemic era. This study aims to find out the influence of two mobile-based mindfulness apps, Calm and Headspace, on the pre-service teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia studying online during COVID-19 pandemic era. The 43 subjects were given 20-session-mindfulness intervention (guided and independent trainings) using the two mobile-based mindfulness apps. The data from the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the classroom observations, and the written interviews were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results from the t-test analysis on the FFMQ show that there was an improvement on the subjects’ mindfulness level after the intervention. Furthermore, the results of the observation and the interview show that the oral narrations of the contents in the apps were found useful as a means to provide positive learning environment before and during the learning practice. Moreover, the oral narrations of the contents in the apps were specifically found useful as a means to practice listening comprehension. Therefore, besides being served as a means to practice and improve the pre-service teachers’ mindfulness level, mobile-based mindfulness apps could also be used to enhance one’s English listening comprehension skills. The use of mobile-based mindfulness applications can be promising for pre-service teachers in Indonesia who need to have balance academic and social-emotional skills to support their role in teaching students in the future.

Mindfulness training reduces slippery slope effects in moral decision-making and moral judgment

Extant research has demonstrated the positive intrapersonal effects of mindfulness training. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying the effects of mindfulness training on interpersonal processes are less clear. Here, we combined a randomized control mindfulness training design with computational approach to moral decision-making and moral judgments. Participants were randomly assigned to a Training group (N = 32) who received an 8-week mindfulness training or a Control group (N = 26) who waited for the same period of time. Before and after the 8-week period, participants completed a moral decision-making task, where they made tradeoff between money for themselves and unpleasant electric shocks to another person, and a moral judgment task, where they evaluated the blameworthiness of someone else’s choices in the same moral decision-making task. Trait mindfulness, as measured by the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, significantly increased from the pre- to post-training session for the Training group, but not the Control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of the mindfulness manipulation. For the Control group, participants’ moral preference in both the decision-making task and the judgment task declined over time, exhibiting a “slippery slope” effect. In contrast, for the Training group, mindfulness training prevented moral preferences from declining. Computational modeling revealed that mindfulness training specifically reduced the increase in the weights of money over time in both the decision-making and judgment tasks, thereby curbing the “slippery slope” effects. These findings provide a cognitive account of the prosocial effects of mindfulness training on moral decision-making and moral judgments.

Measuring Mindfulness in Black Americans: A Psychometric Validation of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire

Black Americans disproportionately experience higher levels of chronic stress. Mindfulness is a promising, cost-effective option for reducing stress and related mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is one of the most widely used tools to measure mindfulness; however, Black American samples have been underrepresented in validation studies of the FFMQ. Consequently, the validity of the FFMQ within Black Americans has received minimal attention. The present study assessed the psychometric properties and nomological network of the original 39-item FFMQ (FFMQ-39) and the short form 15-item FFMQ (FFMQ-15) among a non-clinical, Black American sample in the United States. In a longitudinal study, 586 Black Americans completed either the FFMQ-39 or the FFMQ-15 at two time points one month apart, as well as measures of the constructs in mindfulness’ nomological network and demographic attributes. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 5-factor structure in both questionnaires. Both questionnaires had good fit indices (RMSEA < 0.06, SRMR < 0.08, CFI > 0.92, TFI > 0.92) and demonstrated strong test–retest reliability, expected associations with nomological network variables, and invariance across ethnic heritage, ethnic identity, everyday discrimination, lifetime discrimination, skin tone, depression level, gender, mindfulness meditation experience, and household income. The results indicate that both the FFMQ-39 and the FFMQ-15 can validly and reliably measure mindfulness in a non-clinical, Black American sample. These findings contribute to cultural generalizability and mindfulness assessment within underrepresented populations. The analytic plan was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework. Registration: https://osf.io/95v4m