Differential impact of mindfulness practices on aggression among law enforcement officers.

OBJECTIVES: Home-based mindfulness practice is a common component of formal mindfulness training (MT) protocols. Obtaining objective data from home-based mindfulness practice is challenging. Interpreting associations between home-based mindfulness practice and clinically impactful outcomes is complicated given the variability in recommendations in length, frequency, and type of practice. In this exploratory study, adherence to home-based practices of Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) was studied in order to evaluate associations with clinical outcomes. METHODS: Home practices from 24 (92% male, non-Hispanic white, aged M = 43.20 years) law enforcement officers (LEOs) from the urban Pacific Northwest enrolled in a feasibility and efficacy trial of MBRT were studied using an objective tracking device and self-report data. Outcomes included adherence to home-based mindfulness practices and self-reported aggression. RESULTS: Participants completed 59.12% of the frequency amount of practice assigned in the MBRT curriculum. Frequency of practice was associated with decreased aggression, adjusted R 2 = .41, F(3,23) = 6.14, p = .004. Duration of practice also predicted decreased aggression, adjusted R 2 = .33, F(3,23) = 4.76, p = .011. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based MBRT practices for LEOs, even at low rates of adherence, may reduce aggression. MTs may show beneficial effects for other populations presented with challenges to engage in regular MT practices.

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Primary Care Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Primary care physicians experience high rates of burnout, which results in diminished quality of life, poorer quality of care, and workforce attrition. In this randomized controlled trial, our primary aim was to examine the impact of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on burnout, stress, mindfulness, compassion, and resilience among physicians. A total of 33 physicians completed the baseline assessment and were randomized to the Mindful Medicine Curriculum (MMC; n = 17) or waitlist control group (n = 16). Participants completed self-report measures at baseline, post-MBI, and 3-month follow-up. We also analyzed satisfaction with doctor communication (DCC) and overall doctor rating (ODR) data from patients of the physicians in our sample. Participants in the MMC group reported significant improvements in stress (P < .001), mindfulness (P = .05), emotional exhaustion (P = .004), and depersonalization (P = .01) whereas in the control group, there were no improvements on these outcomes. Although the MMC had no impact on patient-reported DCC or ODR, among the entire sample at baseline, DCC and ODR were significantly correlated with several physician outcomes, including resilience and personal achievement. Overall, these findings suggest that a brief MBI can have a positive impact on physician well-being and potentially enhance patient care.

Mindfulness-based resilience training to reduce health risk, stress reactivity, and aggression among law enforcement officers: A feasibility and preliminary efficacy trial.

The primary objective of this study was to assess feasibility and gather preliminary outcome data on Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) for law enforcement officers. Participants (n = 61) were randomized to either an 8-week MBRT course or a no intervention control group. Self-report and physiological data were collected at baseline, post-training, and three months following intervention completion. Attendance, adherence, post-training participant feedback, and interventionist fidelity to protocol all demonstrated feasibility of MBRT for law enforcement officers. Compared to no intervention controls, MBRT participants experienced greater reductions in salivary cortisol, self-reported aggression, organizational stress, burnout, sleep disturbance, and reported increases in psychological flexibility and non-reactivity at post-training; however, group differences were not maintained at three-month follow-up. This initial randomized trial suggests MBRT is a feasible intervention. Outcome data suggest MBRT targets key physiological, psychological, and health risk factors in law enforcement officers, consistent with the potential to improve officer health and public safety. However, follow-up training or "booster" sessions may be needed to maintain training gains. A fully powered longitudinal randomized trial is warranted.

Fibromyalgia Impact and Mindfulness Characteristics in 4986 People with Fibromyalgia.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: A growing body of literature suggests that mindfulness techniques may be beneficial in fibromyalgia. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of six trials indicated improvement in depressive symptoms and quality of life, calling for increased rigor and use of standardized measures in future trials. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between mindfulness [as measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)] and fibromyalgia impact [as measured by the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR)]. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia from a national fibromyalgia advocacy foundation e-mail list. RESULTS: A total of 4986 respondents represented all 50 states in the United States and 30 countries. FIQR scores demonstrated moderate to severe fibromyalgia with the majority of subjects (59%) scoring ≤60. Scores on the FFMQ subscales ranged from 20.8 to 27.3, with highest scores for the observe subscale. All subscale correlations were small to moderate and indicated that more severe fibromyalgia impact was associated with less mindfulness except in the observe scale (r = .15, P > .000). No clinical or demographics explained as much variance in the FIQR total as any of the mindfulness subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Fibromyalgia patients experience symptoms that may be alleviated by mindfulness interventions. Baseline values for the observe subscale of the FFMQ were unexpectedly high. Further research is needed to know if this may be due to non-mindful observations and should be noted when the FFMQ is used in fibromyalgia clinical trials.

Using Cognitive Interviews to Assess the Cultural Validity of State and Trait Measures of Mindfulness among Zen Buddhists.

Although Western psychological mindfulness shares many common features with Buddhist mindfulness, subtle differences in the way in which it is practiced and assessed may have important implications. Therefore, the primary goal of this qualitative study was to evaluate the cultural validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS) by using cognitive interviews among a sample of Buddhist clergy and laypersons to assess their perceptions of these two scales. Participants were 14 Zen Buddhists (7 laypersons, 6 Zen priests, and 1 in priest the ordination process) recruited from a monastery in the Pacific Northwestern U.S. Each participant completed a cognitive interview using the FFMQ and TMS. We developed a coding schema to identify and categorize participant responses, and then applied the final coding framework to all 14 interviews. Results revealed perceived concerns and strengths of each scale, as well as concerns regarding content deemed missing from both scales and general issues related to mindfulness self-assessment. These findings suggest that Buddhist and Western psychological conceptualizations of mindfulness may have important differences.

Mindfulness in Thailand and the United States: a case of apples versus oranges?

The study and practice of mindfulness is rapidly expanding in Western psychology. Recently developed self-report measures of mindfulness were derived from Western operationalizations and cross-cultural validation of many of these measures is lacking, particularly in Buddhist cultures. Therefore, this study examined the measurement equivalence of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) among Thai (n=385) and American (n=365) college students. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis models fit to the data revealed that the KIMS lacked configural invariance across groups, which precluded subsequent invariance tests, and although the MAAS demonstrated configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance, there was no significant latent mean MAAS difference between Thais and Americans. These findings suggest that Eastern and Western conceptualizations of mindfulness may have important differences.