Mindfulness Meditation Sessions Research Articles

Therapeutic aid to improve sleep

At a medical-psychological center, a therapeutic program based on relaxation and mindfulness meditation sessions is offered to people suffering from chronic insomnia referred by the center's psychiatrists, psychologists and advanced practice nurse. This treatment, which can be complementary to ongoing medication, is an alternative to pharmacological approaches.

Sleep Quality, Sleep Efficiency, and Perceived Stress after Synchronous Virtual Mindfulness Meditation Sessions for Higher Education Students

This study<strong> </strong>examined the effects of virtual mindfulness meditation programming on sleep efficiency using wearable tracking devices, as well as effects on sleep quality and perceived stress in higher education students.<strong> </strong>A one-group, pretest-posttest design with convenience sampling and rolling recruitment over a six-month period resulted in twenty-five participants who completed the study and were included in data analysis. Paired t-tests were used to determine statistical significance for sleep efficiency measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) total scores. Significance was observed in positive outcomes for sleep quality (<em>p</em> = 0.010) and perceived stress (<em>p</em> = 0.032). Sleep efficiency resulted in no significant change (<em>p</em> = 0.063). The synchronous virtual program had a positive effect on the sleep quality and perceived stress; however, the use of wearables should be integrated with caution. Higher education students and professionals at higher education institutions may consider non-pharmacological approaches to treating stress and sleep.

Brief Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Inductions to Facilitate Task Persistence After Negative Feedback

Negative feedback in academic settings is often unavoidable, although it may directly interfere with the ultimate goal of education, as setbacks can diminish motivation, and may even lead to dropping out of school. Previous research suggests that certain predispositions, inductions, and interventions might mitigate the harmful effects of negative feedback. Among others, growth mindset beliefs and mindfulness meditation were proposed as the most promising candidates that may help students to retain motivation. In a pre-registered, randomized experiment, we gave a disappointing evaluation to 383 university students in a bogus laboratory IQ test situation. Half of the participants previously received a growth mindset induction referring to intelligence as a malleable characteristic, while the other half received a fixed mindset induction referring to intelligence as a stable characteristic that cannot be changed. Then participants had a brief mindfulness meditation session or a control condition. Subsequently, they could choose to complete practice tasks before the final IQ assessment. The number of completed optional tasks was used as a behavioral proxy for task persistence. The results showed no difference in task persistence for the growth mindset or the mindfulness induction groups, compared to the other conditions. However, those who reported having higher pre-induction growth mindset beliefs or dispositional mindfulness completed more optional tasks after the mindset or mindfulness induction, respectively. We concluded that our brief inductions may not be adequate for everyone to rectify the demotivating effects of negative feedback, but can enhance task persistence for people with a stronger disposition towards a growth mindset or mindfulness.

Promoting the Development of Resilience in University Teachers Through the Practice of Mindfulness

This article describes the results of a longitudinal study on the effects of the regular, everyday practice of at least 20-minute-long mindfulness meditation sessions on coping with stressful situations among academic staff. University teachers were selected with respect to the high stress of their occupation and their frequent statements of difficulties with responding adequately to stress arising from the necessity of communicating with students, colleagues and family members every day. They stated that they could not cope adequately and had problems concentrating on other activities such as writing, giving lectures and attending work meetings. At the beginning of the study, the academic staff were offered mindfulness meditation therapy training. The study took place from 2002 to 2020. A total of 124 university teachers were monitored. The research group consisted of 97 teachers at Czech universities (53 men and 44 women) and 27 teachers at Slovak universities (14 men and 13 women). The study’s main objective was to identify the effect of an everyday 20-minute mindfulness practice, which 113 participants performed in the morning and 11 in the evening, on the development of their psychological resilience for coping This article describes the results of a longitudinal study on the effects of the regular, everyday practice of at least 20-minute-long mindfulness meditation sessions on coping with stressful situations among academic staff. University teachers were selected with respect to the high stress of their occupation and their frequent statements of difficulties with responding adequately to stress arising from the necessity of communicating with students, colleagues and family members every day. They stated that they could not cope adequately and had problems concentrating on other activities such as writing, giving lectures and attending work meetings. At the beginning of the study, the academic staff were offered mindfulness meditation therapy training. The study took place from 2002 to 2020. A total of 124 university teachers were monitored. The research group consisted of 97 teachers at Czech universities (53 men and 44 women) and 27 teachers at Slovak universities (14 men and 13 women). The study’s main objective was to identify the effect of an everyday 20-minute mindfulness practice, which 113 participants performed in the morning and 11 in the evening, on the development of their psychological resilience for coping

APA Celebrates Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article APA & MeetingsFull AccessAPA Celebrates Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness MonthSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:24 Aug 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.09.9.30AbstractIn July, APA’s Division of Diversity and Health Equity (DDHE) hosted its second annual APA MOORE Equity in Mental Health 5K. The run, walk, and roll brought together communities from across the country and globally to raise awareness and combat mental health inequities facing young people of color. In addition, over $100,000 was raised to support the DDHE and the APA Foundation’s MOORE Equity in Mental Health Community Grants Program. Five grant recipients received $10,000 to support mental health equity for young people of color, including the Drake University Counseling Center in Iowa, the University of Florida Health Community Clinic, Project Nia in North Carolina, Crear Con Salud in Puerto Rico, and the University of Colorado.In the photo below right (click here to see photos) are APA Deputy Medical Director and DDHE Chief Regina James, M.D., and APA President Rebecca Brendel, M.D., J.D. Pictured below left are runners participating in the APA MOORE Equity in Mental Health 5K at Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C.This year, DDHE expanded the activities under the APA MOORE Equity in Mental Health Initiative, hosting three roundtable conversations that gave attendees the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of mental health issues, as well as the APA MOORE Equity in Mental Health Community Fair in partnership with Howard University Hospital. The event provided community members with an abundance of general mental health information, resources, and connected individuals with local mental health services and organizations dedicated to improving mental health equity.In the bottom photo (click here to see photos), Cynthia Rodwell (left) and Cynthia Wheeler, M.A. (right), with Howard’s Office of the Dean of the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel are leading the mindfulness meditation session during the community fair. ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Implementing mindfulness meditation in hand surgery training: a feasibility study

BackgroundSurgery can be stressful, requiring decision-making and performance under pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic has further challenged surgeons’ well-being and training. Excess stress adversely affects well-being, technical and non-technical performance, and, by extension, patient care. Little emphasis has been placed on interventions to improve individual surgeons’ stress resilience despite mindfulness training being robustly linked to resilience, well-being, and improved executive function and performance. This feasibility study aimed to evaluate the effect and acceptability of a mindfulness meditation session on a group of surgical trainees during a hand fracture fixation course.MethodsAll participants of a single-day hand fracture fixation course were invited to take part in the study, and randomised into two groups. The intervention group experienced a 10-min guided meditation session before their assessment, while the control group did not. Basic demographics, inherent ‘trait’ mindfulness, change in mood, and perceived acceptability were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe 17 participants were demographically similar, as were their self-reported mood scores until after the meditation, where they diverged significantly (p < .01, t-test), with the meditation group feeling more relaxed and calm. Meditation as an intervention was considered largely acceptable.ConclusionsMindfulness meditation is established in improving stress resilience, relevant to surgeon well-being, performance, and patient care. This feasibility study suggests benefit and acceptability, and potential for further research in designing a targeted programme for surgeons, to reduce stress sensitivity, and improve performance, joy, and well-being within surgical training.Level of evidence: Level III, Therapeutic study.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00238-022-01962-1.

Effects of mindfulness meditation on trait mindfulness, perceived stress, emotion regulation, and quality of life in hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness meditation on trait mindfulness, perceived stress, emotion regulation, and quality of life in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. MethodsAn experimental study with repeated measures design was conducted among a sample of 74 end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis between January and May 2021 in the dialysis center at Jahra hospital, Kuwait. The patients were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 37) and control groups (n = 37). The experimental group participated in 30-min mindfulness meditation sessions (three sessions a week for five weeks) held during their hemodialysis sessions; the participants in the control group were instructed to sit with their eyes closed and relaxed for 30 min three times a week for five weeks during hemodialysis sessions. The dependent variables of both groups were measured at baseline (T0), middle of intervention (T1), and end of intervention (T2) using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL-36) questionnaire. The study was registered in the ClinicalTrial.gov (Identifier: NCT05176730). ResultsThe repeated measures ANOVA (within-subject) results for the experimental group showed that mindfulness meditation had significantly decreased perceived stress by the end of the intervention. Also, mindfulness meditation improved mindfulness, emotion regulation, and kidney disease-related quality of life in the experimental group, and this improvement occurred significantly at both T1 and T2. The repeated measures ANOVA (within and between-subject) results showed that the experimental group, as compared to the control group, had lower perceived stress, higher trait mindfulness, higher emotional regulation, and higher kidney disease-related quality of life over time. ConclusionsThe positive findings of this study offer health policy-makers and hospital administrators a promising tool to use with patients undergoing hemodialysis as a way to manage stress and improve quality of life. However, this study should be replicated in multiple settings with follow-up assessments.

First, do no harm: An intensive experience sampling study of adverse effects to mindfulness training

ObjectiveThe study of safety and adverse effects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) is limited. We propose a novel reliable change index (RCI) approach to experience sampling (ES) data to begin to understand the common domains, frequency, severity, risk for, and context of adverse responding to mindfulness meditation practice and brief MBI. MethodsOver the course of a 21-day MBI among 82 meditation-naïve participants, we estimated (i) momentary adverse effects during mindfulness meditation practice and (ii) sustained adverse effects in daily living following the intervention. ResultsFirst, RCI analyses of experience sampling of mindfulness meditation document that 87% of participants demonstrated at least one momentary adverse effect during meditation, most commonly anxiety; and subject-level temporal variability or instability in experience samples of daily living did not account for momentary adverse effects attributed to mindfulness meditation sessions. Second, 25% of participants experienced a sustained adverse effect in daily living at post-intervention. Yet, neither momentary adverse effects to meditation nor vulnerability factors at pre-intervention predicted adverse effects at post-intervention. ConclusionsFindings illustrate that mindfulness meditation may be transiently anxiogenic for many participants, yet, these experiences are unlikely to constitute objective harm per se. Furthermore, observed deterioration in daily living post-intervention cannot be attributed to momentary adverse effects in response to mindfulness meditation. We speculate that observed deterioration in daily living post-intervention may thus be better explained by increased awareness to internal states following mindfulness training. Findings highlight the potential utility of applying a RCI approach to intensive ES measurement to quantify adverse effects of mindfulness training specifically and mental health interventions broadly.

Brain activity during meditation in first-time meditators

Aim of the study The electrophysiological correlates of meditation states in both short and long-term meditators have been increasingly documented; however, little is known about the brain activity associated with first-time meditation experiences. The goal of this study was to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of a single guided mindfulness meditation session in subjects with no previous meditation experience. Materials and methods We analyzed electroencephalogram (EEG) changes in signal power, hemispheric asymmetry, and information flow between EEG channels, in 16 healthy subjects who were new to meditation practice. Results Our results show that information flow decreases in the theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha ranges (8–13 Hz) during mindfulness meditation exercise as compared to control: a passive listening condition. These changes are accompanied by a general trend in the decrease of alpha power over the whole scalp. One possible interpretation of these results is that there is an increased level of alertness/vigilance associated with the meditation task rather than reaching the target state. Conclusions Our study expands on the existing body of knowledge concerning neural oscillations during breathing meditation practice by showing that in participants with no previous meditation training, EEG correlates are different from the electrophysiological signatures of mindfulness meditation found in studies of more advanced practitioners.

Stress-Reducing Effects of Playing a Casual Video Game among Undergraduate Students

ObjectiveTo assess the potential effectiveness of playing a simple, casual video game (Flower) in reducing stress relative to participating in a mindfulness-meditation session (body scan) among undergraduate students. Eighty undergraduate student participants (mean age = 19.46 years, SD = 1.43; gender: 48 females, 29 males, 3 preferred not to answer) were assigned to one of two groups in alternating order: one who played Flower and the comparison group who participated in a body scan, each lasting 20 min. Psychological and physiological stress measurements were made before and after each intervention. Self-perceived psychological stress was measured using a modified version of the nine-item Psychological Stress Measure (PSM-9), and physiological stress (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) was measured using an electronic blood-pressure cuff. The results were analyzed with a 2 (measurement: pre, post) × 2 (intervention: video game, mindfulness-meditation) mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) for each of the four outcome measures. There was a statistically significant reduction (pre- to post-intervention) across all outcome measures. Notably, there was a significant measurement × intervention interaction (p < .001) for the psychological stress measure; participants in the mindfulness-meditation group reported greater stress reduction after the intervention than participants in the video game group. Although these results suggest mindfulness-meditation provides a slight advantage for stress reduction than casual video games, the similarity in reduction across all physiological measures between the two interventions nevertheless suggests casual video games may also be an effective medium. This finding is especially promising given casual video games’ accessibility, ease of use, and popularity among students. These results may inform initiatives by colleges and universities to better support students during peak times of stress and especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Online Mindfulness May Target Psychological Distress and Mental Health during COVID-19.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected mental health, creating an urgent need for convenient and safe interventions to improve well-being. Online mindfulness interventions show promise for improving depression, anxiety, and general well-being.ObjectiveTo assess: 1) the impact of online mindfulness on psychological distress, 2) altruistic efforts, and 3) the quantity, quality, and availability of online mindfulness resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods233 participants (203 U.S.; 20 international; 10 unknown) participated in this prospective, single-arm, non-randomized clinical trial of a single online mindfulness meditation session with pre- and post-surveys.Main Outcome Measures(a) Mindfulness session helpfulness, online platform effectiveness, and immediate pre- to post-session changes in momentary stress, anxiety, and COVID-19 concern; (b) qualitative themes representing how people are helping others during the pandemic; (c) absolute changes in quantity of mindfulness-oriented web content and free online mindfulness resource availability from May to August 2020.ResultsMost participants felt the online mindfulness session was helpful and the electronic platform effective for practicing mindfulness (89%, 95% CI: [82 to 93%]), with decreased momentary anxiety (76%; 95% CI: [69 to 83%]), stress (80%; [72 to 86%]), and COVID-19 concern (55%; [46 to 63%]), (p < 0.001 for each measure). Participants reported helping others in a variety of ways during the pandemic, including following public health guidelines, conducting acts of service and connection, and helping oneself in hopes of helping others. “Mindfulness + COVID” search results increased by 52% from May to August 2020. Most (73%) Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health member websites offer free online mindfulness resources.ConclusionsVirtual mindfulness is an increasingly accessible intervention available world-wide that may reduce psychological distress during this isolating public health crisis. Kindness and altruism are being demonstrated during the pandemic. The consolidated online mindfulness resources provided may help guide clinicians and patients.

Mindfulness Improves Otolaryngology Residents’ Performance in a Simulated Bad-News Consultation: A Pilot Study

Delivering bad news is a stressful moment for both patient and clinician. As poor bad-news consultation quality may lead to misunderstandings, lack of treatment adherence, acute or even post-traumatic stress in patients, training interventions to improve communication skills and stress-management are necessary. Mindfulness is a recognised stress-management strategy that has shown its efficacy in reducing stress in both health professionals and students. We then supposed that a short mindfulness meditation session performed just before a simulated breaking bad-news consultation to patients with laryngeal cancer may help ear, nose and throat (ENT) residents to master their stress and improve their management of this consultation. This study aims at showing how a short mindfulness meditation performed before a simulated bad-news consultation may improve performance in its realisation by ENT residents. We enrolled 53 ENT residents, randomised in 2 groups. The first group completed a 5-minute mindfulness session while the other group listened to a control track. Thereafter, every resident completed an 8-minute simulated bad-news consultation with a standardised patient. Two blinded expert assessors evaluated their performance on a 25-point grid (BNC-OSAS). Residents self-assessed their stress before and after the intervention and simulated patients rated their perception of physician's empathy. The performance was significantly better in the mindfulness group than in the control group (m = 19.8, sd = 3.2 and m = 17.4, sd = 3.7 respectively, F(1,45)=5.27, p = 0.026, d = 0.67), especially in the communication and knowledge subdomains. There was no significant difference in perceived stress between the 2 groups. Empathy perceived by simulated patients was positively correlated to residents' performance. A short mindfulness meditation is effective for improving ENT residents' performance in a simulated bad-news consultation. These results encourage further assessments of this method with objective measures of physiological stress. More research is required concerning the feasibility and efficacy of mindfulness before daily clinical activities such as stressing bad-news consultation.

\u201cAnd Now Close Your Eyes or Lower Your Gaze\u201d: Exploring Novice Meditators and Their Attentional Processes During Meditation

Brief mindfulness meditation practices are associated with a wealth of benefits; however, factors that may influence the success of meditation sessions have rarely been explored. The present study explored the effects of the visual environment as a factor of successful meditation. Eye-tracking techniques were employed to objectively measure attention within three attention-deviating conditions with basic meditation instructions, and the potential influence of personality traits as assessed through administering the HEXACO-60-PI, a self-report measure, to participants. Statistically significant results were uncovered regarding decreased fixation durations and increased state mindfulness scores of participants within the blank screen conditions over the two eyes-open conditions. No significant effect was found regarding fixation counts, which decreased within the blank screen condition. The findings regarding reduced state anxiety did not reach significance and there were no significant differences regarding the six personality types between conditions. The present study offers a step towards understanding how brief mindfulness meditation sessions can be optimised.

Краткосрочные эффекты от онлайн-практики медитации осознанности

The paper presents the results of a validation of an online intervention comprising a three-week course in mindfulness meditation with daily guided meditation sessions. The study used a randomised wait-list control group design with a pre-test and a post-test. Dependent variables included indicators of emotional and psychological well-being, reflective processes, self-control and self-regulation. Participants were anonymous volunteers recruited via social networks (N = 206; with N = 56 in the experimental group and N = 44 in the control group after dropout). The results indicate that taking part in a mindfulness meditation intervention is associated with higher emotional well-being, reduction of non-productive reflection (rumination), development of self-determination, self-motivation, self-relaxation, cognitive self-control and activity concentration skills. At the same time, participants who dropped out had different self-control and affective self-control scores at pre-test. The findings indicate that regular mindfulness meditation sessions as part of an online intervention develop self-regulation skills in individuals whose self-control is sufficiently high in order to adhere to a regular meditation schedule.

Mindfulness, mindful consumption, and life satisfaction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of mindfulness meditation sessions on students of higher education in terms of their mindfulness, mindful consumption behavior and life satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachParticipants of research were higher education students. The research included two studies. The first (screener) study endorsed that mindfulness was higher in students with higher mindfulness meditation frequency. The second study used difference-in-differences experimental design using a treatment and a control group. These groups participated in pre and post-treatment surveys. The treatment was given as guided short mindfulness meditation sessions as suggested by mindfulness guru – Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. The treatment group received these sessions at the end of regular subject classes for two months.FindingsThe experiment revealed that mindfulness, mindful consumption and life satisfaction change significantly in the treatment group after treatment as compared to the control group.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of the study included sample size and attrition. In total, 149 students participated in the screener study. In total, 94 students were given pre-treatment survey as per research design and 80 participated in post-treatment survey.Practical implicationsThis experiment demonstrated that important traits and behavior like life satisfaction and mindful consumption behavior of higher education students can be improved significantly. The effectiveness of guided short mindfulness sessions, conducted in the classroom environment, was also confirmed.Social implicationsThe inclusion of mindfulness in the regular curriculum by policy makers would benefit students, faculty members and overall quality of learning environment.Originality/valueThough previous researches have separately investigated relationships of mindfulness with life satisfaction, there is a lack of research to show association of mindfulness, mindful consumption and life satisfaction.

The Gamification of Meditation: A Randomized-Controlled Study of a Prescribed Mobile Mindfulness Meditation Application in Reducing College Students’ Depression

Objective. Roughly 35% of college students report depression as a significant concern, which unaddressed, can lead to an increased likelihood to quit school and develop comorbid conditions. Traditional depression interventions are useful; however, they are often expensive, stigmatizing, tedious, and time-intensive. We examined a prescribed mindfulness meditation regimen, which incorporates gamification principles, in reducing symptoms of depression compared to a control group. Materials and methods. We recruited and randomly assigned 72 college students to an experimental group (n = 33) or a control group (n = 39). The prescription for experimfiental group participants was ten 10-minute mobile mindfulness meditation sessions over a 14-day period; control group participants continued with business as usual. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to test our hypothesis. Results. Repeated-measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant interaction of group by time for depression scores, supporting the hypothesis that experimental group participants would significantly decrease their depression symptom severity compared to control group participants post-intervention. Within-subjects contrasts and between-group analyses showed a significant decrease in depression symptom severity scores. Conclusion. Prescribed use of a gamified mindfulness meditation application significantly decreased depression symptom severity as measured by the PHQ-9. College students and mental health providers should consider these fun, inexpensive, and non-stigmatizing applications as a feasible intervention for college students to improve symptoms associated with depression.

Spontaneous eye movements during focused-attention mindfulness meditation.

Oculometric measures have been proven to be useful markers of mind-wandering during visual tasks such as reading. However, little is known about ocular activity during mindfulness meditation, a mental practice naturally involving mind-wandering episodes. In order to explore this issue, we extracted closed-eyes ocular movement measurements via a covert technique (EEG recordings) from expert meditators during two repetitions of a 7-minute mindfulness meditation session, focusing on the breath, and two repetitions of a 7-minute instructed mind-wandering task. Power spectral density was estimated on both the vertical and horizontal components of eye movements. The results show a significantly smaller average amplitude of eye movements in the delta band (1–4 Hz) during mindfulness meditation than instructed mind-wandering. Moreover, participants’ meditation expertise correlated significantly with this average amplitude during both tasks, with more experienced meditators generally moving their eyes less than less experienced meditators. These findings suggest the potential use of this measure to detect mind-wandering episodes during mindfulness meditation and to assess meditation performance.

Mindfulness, Mindful Consumption, &amp;amp; Life Satisfaction: An Experiment with Higher Education Students

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of mindfulness meditation sessions on students of higher education in terms of their mindfulness, mindful consumption behavior, and life satisfaction. Methodology: Participants of research were higher education students. The research included two studies. The first (screener) study endorsed that mindfulness was higher in students with higher mindfulness meditation frequency. The second study used difference-in-differences experimental design using a treatment and a control group. These groups participated in pre and post-treatment surveys. The treatment was given as guided short mindfulness meditation sessions as suggested by mindfulness guru– Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. The treatment group received these sessions at the end of regular subject classes for two months. Findings: The experiment revealed that mindfulness, mindful consumption, life satisfaction change significantly in the treatment group after treatment as compared to the control group. Research limitations: Limitations of the study included sample size and attrition. 149 students participated in the screener study. 94 students were given pre-treatment survey as per research design and 80 participated in post-treatment survey. Practical implications: This experiment demonstrated that important traits and behavior like life satisfaction and mindful consumption behavior of higher education students can be improved significantly. Effectiveness of guided short mindfulness sessions, conducted in the classroom environment, was also confirmed. Inclusion of mindfulness in regular curriculum by policymakers would benefit students, faculty members and overall quality of learning environment. Originality/value: Though previous researches have separately investigated relationships of mindfulness with life satisfaction, there is a lack of research to show association of mindfulness, mindful consumption, and life satisfaction.

Gender differences in response to a school-based mindfulness training intervention for early adolescents

Mindfulness training has been used to improve emotional wellbeing in early adolescents. However, little is known about treatment outcome moderators, or individual differences that may differentially impact responses to treatment. The current study focused on gender as a potential moderator for affective outcomes in response to school-based mindfulness training. Sixth grade students (N = 100) were randomly assigned to either the six weeks of mindfulness meditation or the active control group as part of a history class curriculum. Participants in the mindfulness meditation group completed short mindfulness meditation sessions four to five times per week, in addition to didactic instruction (Asian history). The control group received matched experiential activity in addition to didactic instruction (African history) from the same teacher with no meditation component. Self-reported measures of emotional wellbeing/affect, mindfulness, and self-compassion were obtained at pre and post intervention. Meditators reported greater improvement in emotional wellbeing compared to those in the control group. Importantly, gender differences were detected, such that female meditators reported greater increases in positive affect compared to females in the control group, whereas male meditators and control males displayed equivalent gains. Uniquely among females but not males, increases in self-reported self-compassion were associated with improvements in affect. These findings support the efficacy of school-based mindfulness interventions, and interventions tailored to accommodate distinct developmental needs of female and male adolescents.

A randomised active-controlled trial to examine the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on executive control, critical thinking and key thinking dispositions in a university student sample

BackgroundArguments for including mindfulness instruction in higher education have included claims about the benefits of mindfulness practice for critical thinking. While there is theoretical support for this claim, empirical support is limited. The aim of this study was to test this claim by investigating the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on executive function, critical thinking skills and associated thinking dispositions.MethodParticipants recruited from a university were randomly allocated, following screening, to either a mindfulness meditation group or a sham meditation group. Both the researchers and the participants were blind to group allocation. The intervention content for both groups was delivered through the Headspace online application, an application which provides guided meditations to users. Both groups were requested to complete 30 guided mindfulness meditation sessions across a 6 week period. Primary outcome measures assessed mindfulness, executive functioning, critical thinking, actively open-minded thinking and need for cognition. Secondary outcome measures assessed wellbeing, positive and negative affect, and real-world outcomes.ResultsIn a series of full-information maximum likelihood analyses, significant increases in mindfulness dispositions and critical thinking scores were observed in both the mindfulness meditation and sham meditation groups. However, no significant effects of group allocation were observed for either primary or secondary measures. Furthermore, mediation analyses testing the indirect effect of group allocation through executive functioning performance did not reveal a significant result and moderation analyses showed that the effect of the intervention did not depend on baseline levels of the key thinking dispositions, actively open-minded thinking and need for cognition.ConclusionNo evidence was found to suggest that engaging in guided mindfulness practice for 6 weeks using the online intervention method applied in this study improves critical thinking performance. While further research is warranted, claims regarding the benefits of mindfulness practice for critical thinking should be tempered in the meantime.Trial registrationThe study was initially registered in the AEA Social Science Registry before the recruitment was initiated (RCT ID: AEARCTR-0000756; 14/11/2015) and retrospectively registered in the ISRCTN registry (RCT ID: ISRCTN16588423) in line with requirements for publishing the study protocol.