Impact Of Mindfulness Training Research Articles

The impact of mindfulness training on alleviating COVID-19 fear among international students in China: A quasi-experimental study

This study investigated the effects of mindfulness training on alleviating fear of the COVID-19 epidemic among international students in China during the academic year 2020. The training group participants (N = 41) and the control group participants (N = 44) were surveyed pre-and post-training with the two English questionnaires: The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the fear of the COVID-19 scale (FCV–19S). The results showed that, regarding the relationship between the two main variables in the study, mindfulness is related negatively to the COVID-19 epidemic. Moreover, compared to the control group, results showed that individuals in the training group demonstrated significant improvements in mindfulness levels and decreased Fear of COVID-19. Thus, findings suggest that a short online mindfulness meditation training may reduce fear of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The impact of mindfulness training on the attention to facial expressions among undergraduates

AbstractThe improvements in attention by mindfulness training have been proved. However, the effects of mindfulness training on attention to emotional stimuli were mixed. We employed a randomized, controlled design to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on attention to emotional expressions, and investigated whether baseline levels of dispositional mindfulness and emotional intelligence would moderate the intervention effects. Forty participants received 8‐week mindfulness training, and another forty participants attended two lectures about mindfulness. All participants completed the visual search task, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the Emotional Intelligence Scale at both pre‐training and post‐training. The results showed that the improvements in search efficiencies were larger in the mindfulness group than those in the control group for sad and angry faces, but not for happy faces. In addition, baseline emotional intelligence but not dispositional mindfulness played a significant moderating role in the relationship between mindfulness training and emotional attention to sadness and anger. The search efficiencies of negative emotions (i.e., anger and sadness) but not positive emotions (i.e., happiness) were significantly improved by mindfulness training. Individuals with a high level of baseline emotional intelligence showed significant improvement in search efficiencies relative to those with a low level of emotional intelligence.

Impact of mindfulness training and yoga on injury and pain-related impairment: a group randomized trial in basic combat training.

Service members are at risk for pain-related difficulties in functioning and physical injury. Previous studies suggest that mindfulness training (MT) and yoga may prevent these outcomes. The present study was designed to determine the impact of MT and yoga on the health, pain, and injury of Army trainees completing 10 weeks of basic combat training (BCT). Platoons (≈40 trainees per platoon) were randomized to MT and yoga or training-as-usual in October to December 2020 at a large installation in the US. Self-reported outcomes were health, pain level, and pain impact on training, sleep, mood, and stress. Objective outcomes were injury-related medical encounters and number of diagnoses. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials. Gov (NCT05550610). Intervention trainees reported significantly better health (OR = 1.05, 95% CI [1.00, 1.10]) and less impact of pain on training (OR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.74, 0.90]), sleep (OR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.81, 0.95]), mood (OR = 0.86, 95% CI [0.78, 0.96]), and stress (OR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.79, 0.98]). There was no significant difference in injury-related medical encounters (AOR = 0.70, 95% CI [0.48, 1.03]), but intervention trainees had fewer diagnoses (OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.47, 0.95]) and were 30% less likely to have a first medical encounter at any time during BCT. This difference emerged 3 weeks into BCT. A combined MT and yoga intervention resulted in better trainee health. The US Army and other organizations requiring resilience under extreme stress should consider implementing MT and yoga to offset risks to employee health.

The impact of mindfulness training on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, subjective sleep quality, and objective sleep outcomes in police officers.

Sleep disturbances cooccur with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are often correlated with PTSD severity. Previous research has shown that sleep problems mediate the relationship between PTSD and negative physical and mental health outcomes but has relied on self-reported sleep quality. We tested the effects of mindfulness training-previously shown to improve sleep quality and reduce PTSD symptoms-on subjective and objective sleep metrics and relationships with reduced PTSD symptoms. Following baseline data collection in 114 law enforcement officers, we randomly assigned participants to either an 8-week mindfulness training group or a waitlist control group. We repeated assessments immediately posttraining and at 3-month follow-up. Self-reported PTSD symptoms and subjective sleep quality were measured at each visit with the PTSD checklist and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Participants also wore a Fitbit Charge 2 continuously over the course of a 4- to 6-day work week following each visit, from which we extracted two distinct objective sleep metrics: total minutes of sleep and sleep efficiency. At baseline, PTSD symptoms were correlated with PSQI scores but not objective Fitbit metrics. Relative to waitlist, mindfulness training led to improved subjective sleep quality and reduced PTSD symptoms. Reduced PTSD symptoms mediated the improvement in subjective sleep quality following mindfulness training. Neither objective sleep metric demonstrated improvements following mindfulness training, nor did these metrics mediate reduced PTSD symptoms. This study provides evidence linking improved subjective sleep quality, but not objective sleep markers, to reductions in PTSD symptoms following mindfulness training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Mindfulness training in swimming: Efforts to reduce burnout and stress in junior athletes.

Purpose. The application of mindfulness training in sports activities showed enhancement, but lack of evidence about the effects of mindfulness associated with burnout and stress in junior swimming athletes through mixed research methods which created a gap in this study. Therefore, this research analyzed the effects of mindfulness on burnout and stress. Material and methods. Mixed method research with 51 junior swimming athletes involved in this study. In this quantitative research, burnout level was measured using the Burnout Scale for University Athletes, while stress level was measured using The Perceived Stress Scale. The instruments in qualitative research involved in-depth interviews. Results. First, the findings of the quantitative research found that there were no differences in burnout and stress scores in the mindfulness and control groups at the baseline stage (p≥0.05), but there were differences at the post stage (p ≤ 0.05). While the results of the qualitative research showed diverse perceptions of participants including the advantage, drawbacks and impact of mindfulness training. Conclusions. Thus, our research confirms and highlights that mindfulness training is proven to be an alternative and solution for athletes in reducing burnout and stress levels intended for junior swimming athletes.

Impact of Mindfulness Training on EFL Learners’ Willingness to Speak, Speaking Anxiety Levels and Mindfulness Awareness Levels

There has been a rise of interest in mindfulness and its effects on the educational context during the last several decades. The research study aims to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on EFL students’ level of speaking anxiety, willingness to speak in the target language, and their levels of mindfulness awareness. The perceptions of participants were also investigated in this study. In total, 41 sophomore students who were studying in the Aviation Management Department (20 in the experimental group, 21 in the control group) participated in the study. The participants were taking General English Courses for 8 hours every week in one of the state universities in the Black Sea Region, Turkey. To reduce the risk of bias, the data were gathered at different times and from multiple sources; questionnaires, and interviews. For quantitative data, the Turkish adapted versions of the Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), and Willingness to Communicate Scale (WTC) were utilized as pre and post-tests. For qualitative data, Semi-structured Interviews were conducted. The findings of the study revealed that mindfulness had a positive effect on participants’ willingness to speak, their speaking anxiety levels, and their mindfulness-awareness levels. Qualitative data also showed that the participants got huge benefits not only in the English language learning context but also in different areas of their lives.

A preliminary neuroimaging investigation of the effects of mindfulness training on attention reorienting andamygdala reactivity to emotional faces in adolescent and adult females.

Adolescence is a time of increased emotional reactivity and improving cognitive control. Mindfulness meditation training may foster adolescents' cognitive control and emotional regulation skills; however little is known about the impact of mindfulness training in adolescents compared to adults. We examined the effect of mindfulness meditation versus a closely matched active control condition (relaxation training) on behavioral and neural measures of cognitive control and emotional reactivity in a small group of adolescents and adults. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and after 8 weeks of training in 26 adolescent (12-14 years) and 17 adult (23-33 years) female participants in the United Kingdom while they completed an n-back task with emotional face distractors and an attentional control task. Participants of each group chose a class date/time and the classes were then randomly allocated to mindfulness or relaxation conditions. Compared to relaxation training, mindfulness training led to an increase in the speed of reorienting attention across age groups. In addition, there was preliminary evidence for reduced amygdala response to emotional face distractors in adolescents after mindfulness training. An 8-week mindfulness program showed similar facilitative effects in adolescent and adult females on the reorienting of attention, a skill that is repeatedly practiced during mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness also reduced left amygdala reactivity to emotional face distractors in adolescents only. Mindfulness meditation practice can therefore have a facilitative effect on female adolescents' attentional control, and possibly attenuate their emotional reactivity.

The impact of mindfulness training in early adolescence on affective executive control, and on later mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundPrevious research suggests that mindfulness training (MT) appears effective at improving mental health in young people. MT is proposed to work through improving executive control in affectively laden contexts. However,...

App-Based Mindfulness Training Predicts Reductions in Smoking Behavior by Engaging Reinforcement Learning Mechanisms: A Preliminary Naturalistic Single-Arm Study.

Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to influence smoking behavior, yet the involvement of reinforcement learning processes as underlying mechanisms remains unclear. This naturalistic, single-arm study aimed to examine slope trajectories of smoking behavior across uses of our app-based MT craving tool for smoking cessation, and whether this relationship would be mediated by the attenuating impact of MT on expected reward values of smoking. Our craving tool embedded in our MT app-based smoking cessation program was used by 108 participants upon the experience of cigarette cravings in real-world contexts. Each use of the tool involved mindful awareness to the experience of cigarette craving, a decision as to whether the participant wanted to smoke or ride out their craving with a mindfulness exercise, and paying mindful attention to the choice behavior and its outcome (contentment levels felt from engaging in the behavior). Expected reward values were computed using contentment levels experienced from the choice behavior as the reward signal in a Rescorla–Wagner reinforcement learning model. Multi-level mediation analysis revealed a significant decreasing trajectory of smoking frequency across MT craving tool uses and that this relationship was mediated by the negative relationship between MT and expected reward values (all ps < 0.001). After controlling for the mediator, the predictive relationship between MT and smoking was no longer significant (p < 0.001 before and p = 0.357 after controlling for the mediator). Results indicate that the use of our app-based MT craving tool is associated with negative slope trajectories of smoking behavior across uses, mediated by reward learning mechanisms. This single-arm naturalistic study provides preliminary support for further RCT studies examining the involvement of reward learning mechanisms underlying app-based mindfulness training for smoking cessation.

The effect of mindfulness training on resting-state networks in pre-adolescent children with sub-clinical anxiety related attention impairments

Mindfulness training has been associated with improved attention and affect regulation in preadolescent children with anxiety related attention impairments, however little is known about the underlying neurobiology. This study sought to investigate the impact of mindfulness training on functional connectivity of attention and limbic brain networks in pre-adolescents. A total of 47 children with anxiety and/or attention issues (aged 9-11 years) participated in a 10-week mindfulness intervention. Anxiety and attention measures and resting-state fMRI were completed at pre- and post-intervention. Sustained attention was measured using the Conners Continuous Performance Test, while the anxiety levels were measured using the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Functional networks were estimated using independent-component analysis, and voxel-based analysis was used to determine the difference between the time-points to identify the effect of the intervention on the functional connectivity. There was a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms and improvement in attention scores following the intervention. From a network perspective, the results showed increased functional connectivity post intervention in the salience and fronto-parietal networks as well as the medial-inferior temporal component of the default mode network. Positive correlations were identified in the fronto-parietal network with Hit Response Time and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale total and between the default mode network and Hit Response Time. A 10-week mindfulness intervention in children was associated with a reduction in anxiety related attention impairments, which corresponded with concomitant changes in functional connectivity.

Impact of Mindfulness Training on Spanish Police Officers\u2019 Mental and Emotional Health: a Non-Randomized Pilot Study

ObjectivesThe purpose of this exploratory non-randomized controlled study was to determine the acceptance and effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) co-designed by a police officer.MethodsA pretest-posttest control group design was followed. Participants (MBI group = 20; control group = 18) answered baseline and post-training self-reported measures. In addition, the weekly emotional state of the MBI group was collected. Paired-samples t-test and analysis of covariance were performed for pre-post within-group and between-group differences, respectively, as well as linear mixed effects analysis of repeated measures for week-by-week data.ResultsHigh acceptance and attendance rates, as well as significant pre-post within-group differences in the MBI group in mindfulness (η2 = 0.43), self-compassion (η2 = 0.43), depression (η2 = 0.54), anxiety (η2 = 0.46), stress (η2 = 0.51), difficulties in emotion regulation, sleep quality (η2 = 0.57), and burnout (η2 = 0.31–0.47), were identified. Moreover, police officers who underwent the MBI experienced a week by week decrease of anger, disgust, anxiety, sadness, and desire. Finally, after adjusting for pre-test scores, significant between-group differences were found in the way of attending to internal and external experiences (observing mindfulness facet; ηp2 = 0.21), depression symptoms (ηp2 = 0.23), general distress (ηp2 = 0.24), and the degree of physical and psychological exhaustion (personal burnout; ηp2 = 0.20).ConclusionsThe preliminary effectiveness of this MBI on psychopathology and quality of life outcomes in Spanish police officers was discussed. Previous evidence regarding the promising use of MBIs in this population was supported.

Impact of mindfulness training on in-the-moment attentional control and emotion dysregulation in older adults: secondary analysis of a pilot, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial

Mindfulness-based interventions show increasing promise for improving attention and emotion regulation— processes that critically support healthy aging. Given their complex, multi-faceted nature, identifying specific aspects of attention and emotion regulation that are modifiable with training in older adults, particularly compared with active control groups, is an ongoing challenge. We performed pre-registered, secondary analyses of a pilot randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of a four-week mindfulness-based attention training (MBAT) group and a lifestyle education (LifeEd) active control group on attention and emotion dysregulation in older adults. Differential training outcomes were assessed for: (a) in-the-moment effects of mind-wandering on sustained attention, measured by performance decrements preceding self-reported mind-wandering, and (b) self-reported emotion dysregulation. Baseline working memory (WM) performance was tested as a moderator of training effects. There were no significant between-group differences for change in in-the-moment effects of mind-wandering on attention or emotion dysregulation. However, baseline WM moderated training effects, such that older adults with higher WM showed greater reductions in emotion dysregulation following mindfulness training. This has potential implications for identifying aging cohorts that may benefit most from this type of training.

The Impact of Mindfulness Training on Police Officer Stress, Mental Health, and Salivary Cortisol Levels

Unaddressed occupational stress and trauma contribute to elevated rates of mental illness and suicide in policing, and to violent and aggressive behavior that disproportionately impacts communities of color. Emerging evidence suggests mindfulness training with police may reduce stress and aggression and improve mental health, but there is limited evidence for changes in biological outcomes or the lasting benefits of mindfulness training. We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 114 police officers from three Midwestern U.S. law enforcement agencies. We assessed stress-related physical and mental health symptoms, blood-based inflammatory markers, and hair and salivary cortisol. Participants were then randomized to an 8-week mindfulness intervention or waitlist control (WLC), and the same assessments were repeated post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Relative to waitlist control, the mindfulness group had greater improvements in psychological distress, mental health symptoms, and sleep quality post-training, gains that were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Intervention participants also had a significantly lower cortisol awakening response (CAR) at 3-month follow-up relative to waitlist control. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no intervention effects on hair cortisol, diurnal cortisol slope, or inflammatory markers. In summary, an 8-week mindfulness intervention for police officers led to self-reported improvements in distress, mental health, and sleep, and a lower CAR. These benefits persisted (or emerged) at 3-month follow-up, suggesting that this training may buffer against the long-term consequences of chronic stress. Future research should assess the persistence of these benefits over a longer period while expanding the scope of outcomes to consider the broader community of mindfulness training for police.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov#NCT03488875.

Awareness drives changes in reward value which predict eating behavior change: Probing reinforcement learning using experience sampling from mobile mindfulness training for maladaptive eating.

Background and aimsMaladaptive eating habits are a major cause of obesity and weight-related illness. The development of empirically-based approaches, such as mindfulness training (MT) that target accurate mechanisms of action to address these behaviors is therefore critical. Two studies were conducted to examine the impact of MT on maladaptive eating and determine the involvement of reinforcement learning mechanisms underlying these effects.MethodsIn Study1, maladaptive eating behaviors were assessed using self-report questionnaires at baseline and 8 weeks after an app-based MT intervention (n = 46). A novel mindful eating craving tool was embedded in our intervention to assess: eating behaviors (intake frequency/magnitude), and reward (contentment ratings) experienced after eating. Using a well-established reinforcement learning (Rescorla-Wagner) model, expected reward values (EV) were estimated as a function of contentment levels reported after eating. In Study2 (n = 1,119), craving tool assessments were examined in an independent sample using the app in a real-world naturalistic context.ResultsStudy 1's results revealed a significant decrease in EV and eating behaviors across craving tool uses. In addition, changes in reward values predicted decreases in eating behaviors. Finally, Study 1's results revealed significant pre-post intervention reductions in self-reported eating behaviors. In Study2, we observed a significant decrease in EV, but not in eating behaviors, across craving tool uses. Study 2 also revealed a predictive relationship between EV and eating behaviors.Discussion and conclusionsThese results support the implementation of MT to prevent and treat maladaptive eating behaviors, which target reinforcement learning processes as mechanisms of action.

A Six-Session Mindfulness-Based Training to Support Weight Management After Bariatric Surgery in Clients of Hispanic Origin

ObjectivesObjective: To understand more about the impact of mindfulness training on perceived stress levels, dispositional mindfulness, intuitive eating, and psychological flexibility.in bariatric patients of Hispanic origin, 12–36 months post-bariatric surgery. Background: Mindfulness meditation has been proposed as an approach to reduce stress and increase awareness of physical sensations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a six-session mindfulness-based training on dispositional mindfulness, perceived stress levels, intuitive eating, and psychological flexibility in bariatric patients of Hispanic origin 12–36 months post surgery. MethodsThe mindfulness group training was based on The Mindfulness Meditation/Acceptance Commitment Approach (MMACT) and focused on the following topics: mind body connection, stress management, intuitive eating, self-compassion, and acceptance & commitment. Participants were recruited from flyers posted in a private dietitian’s practice and snowball sampling. ResultsFor the first group, sixty potential participants were screened and seven (12%, 3 males and 4 females, mean age 50.6 ± 6, mean BMI 34.7 ± 6) agreed to participate. The mean scores at baseline, six, and ten weeks were: Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (80.1 ± 8, 84 ± 11, 83 ± 14), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (18 ± 8, 17 ± 10, 17 ± 11), Perceived Stress Questionnaire (0.4 ± 0.2, 0.4 ± 0.2, 0.3 ± 0.2), and Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (2.7 ± 0.3, 2.9 ± 0.4, 3.1 ± 0.5), this last one with significant difference (P < 0.01) between baseline and week ten. ConclusionsThis research provides preliminary data on how mindfulness training may affect factors that influence weight stability post bariatric surgery in clients of Hispanic origin. Funding SourcesNone.

Neuroscience-Based Mindfulness Social Work Practice in Schools

Abstract Chronic poverty and stressful life circumstances result in poor school performance and behaviors. Research demonstrates that these behaviors are not the result of student inadequacies and lack of proper discipline, but are rather of neurological adaptations to chronic poverty and toxic stress. These outcomes are driven by the body’s attempt to protect itself even as the behaviors appear to be choices the student is making in a rational world. Neurobiologically, students adapt to these challenges by becoming both hypersensitive and self-protective. As a result, students are mistrustful and on alert beyond what is usual as a way of protecting themselves, consciously or unconsciously. Mindfulness programs provide important tools for shifting these challenges in the classroom by supporting feelings of safety and opportunities for growth and change in student learning and behaviors. Demonstrating the actual practice of mindfulness is not our intent given that there are many ways of using and learning mindfulness in the classroom. Rather, the focus is on the neurological outcomes of stressful lives, the neurological impact of mindfulness training, and providing resources for addressing student negative experiences and behaviors in schools.

The impact of mindfulness training on performance in a group decision-making task: Evidence from an experimental study.

It is widely assumed that mindfulness training will lead to a range of benefits, from improved attentional capacities to better decision-making. Indeed, many large corporations have begun to provide workplace mindfulness training with the aim of improving group-based decision-making. Yet, there has been little empirical work testing the effects of mindfulness training on complex group-based task performance. In a randomised experimental study (N = 332), we examine the effects of two different durations of mindfulness training on strategic decision-making using the classic NASA survival task, assessing individual and then group performance. We expected that a longer training duration (seven daily sessions) would be associated with better group performance relative to a "one-off" training session. We did not find such an association: groups in the longer training condition made slightly, but not significantly, more errors than groups in the one-off condition. We did not find any differences across training conditions when examining individual performance. Our findings should be interpreted in light of numerous studies demonstrating the benefits of even short durations of mindfulness practice on cognitive performance. We conclude that our lengthier mindfulness training duration did not confer measurable benefits over a one-off training session at either the individual or the group level on a strategic decision-making task.

The influence of mindfulness training on running economy and perceived flow under different attentional focus conditions – an intervention study

ABSTRACT Training of mindfulness has gained relevance in sports teaching present moment regulation that is crucial to athletic performance. This study examines the impact of mindfulness training on flow experience and running economy within four attentional foci. N = 16 trained runners (EG) attended an eight-week mindfulness programme. Before (t 1) and after (t 2) the programme, they ran on a treadmill at moderate intensity under four attention conditions (focus on internal body signals, external video, core component of the movement, control focus). N = 15 trained runners obtained the mindfulness programme after completing t 1 and t 2 (CG). t 1 and t 2 were compared to examine if mindfulness training (1) promotes flow and (2) leads to changes in running economy. Only for the EG, repeated measures ANOVA indicated increased flow from t1 to t2 (F (1,14) = 35.71, p = <.001, ) as well as improved running economy for all attention conditions (F (1,13) = 4.99, p = .044, = .28). This study shows benefits of practicing mindfulness on subjective (flow) and objective parameters (oxygen consumption) improving running performance.

Mindfulness training reduces stress and amygdala reactivity to fearful faces in middle-school children.

The impact of mindfulness training on stress and associated brain plasticity has been shown in adults, whereas the impact of such training in the developing brain remains unknown. To address this open question, 40 middle-school children were randomized to either mindfulness or coding training (active control) interventions during the school day for eight weeks. Outcome measures were ratings of self-perceived stress and right amygdala activation while viewing fearful, happy, and neutral facial expressions during functional MRI. Prior to intervention, greater stress correlated with greater right amygdala activation in response to fearful versus neutral facial expressions across all children. After intervention, children who received mindfulness training reported lower stress associated with reduced right amygdala activation to fearful faces relative to children in the control condition. Amygdala responses to happy faces were unrelated to either initial stress or mindfulness reduction of stress. Moreover, mindfulness training led to relatively stronger functional connectivity between the right amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex during the viewing of fearful facial expressions. Changes in perceived stress and neuroplasticity occurred in nonmeditative states, indicating that the benefits of mindfulness training generalized beyond the active meditative state. This study provides initial evidence that mindfulness training in children reduces stress and promotes functional brain changes and that such training can be integrated into the school curriculum for entire classes. This study also reveals first evidence that a neurocognitive mechanism for both stress and its reduction by mindfulness training is related specifically to reduced amygdala responses to negative stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Mindfulness training can reduce prenatal maternal stress

Prenatal maternal stress is an important phenomenon. Evidence on this topic suggests that women who experience high stress during pregnancy are more likely to deliver preterm infants. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of mindfulness training on stress reduction during pregnancy. In the current study we included 23 women who participated in the mindfulness training during pregnancy. The control group included 23 women who were in the reading control condition during pregnancy. Women were eligible to participate if they were experiencing elevated levels of perceived stress or pregnancy-specific anxiety (PSA), as indicated by responses to the Perceived Stress Scale and the PSA scale on a screening questionnaire. Women enrolled between 12 and 26 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to either the mindfulness training or to the reading control condition. Effects of training were analyzed by means of an ANOVA with repeated measurements. ANOVA has revealed (p<.05) that women in the mindfulness intervention experienced larger decreases from pre- to postintervention in pregnancy-specific anxiety and pregnancy-related anxiety than participants in the reading control condition. This pilot study suggests that mindfulness training during pregnancy may effectively reduce pregnancy-related anxiety. However, it is necessary to do further research on the impact of mindfulness training on stress reduction during pregnancy.