Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction reduces pro-inflammatory gene regulation but not systemic inflammation among older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Aging is associated with increased pro-inflammatory gene expression and systemic inflammation, and psychosocial stress may accelerate these changes. Mindfulness interventions show promise for reducing psychosocial stress and extending healthspan. Inflammatory pathways may play a role. In a sample of lonely older adults, we tested whether mindfulness training reduces proinflammatory gene expression and protein markers of systemic inflammation. METHODS: Lonely older adults (65-85 years; N = 190) were randomly assigned to an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or matched Health Enhancement Program (HEP). Blood was drawn pre- and post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), RNA profiling was used to assess transcriptional regulation by pro-inflammatory NF-kB as well as ß-adrenergic CREB, antiviral IRF, and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transcription factors. Plasma was assayed for proinflammatory markers IL-6 and CRP. Analyses tested time (pre, post, follow-up) by condition (MBSR versus HEP) effects. RESULTS: MBSR reduced NF-kB (d = .17, p = .028) but did not alter CREB (d = .10, p = .20), IRF (d = .13, p = .086), or GR activity (d = .14, p = .063) relative to HEP over time. Contrary to predictions, there were no time × condition effects of MBSR compared to HEP on reducing circulating IL-6 or CRP. CONCLUSIONS: In lonely older adults, MBSR reduced cellular pro-inflammatory gene regulation in ways that would predict reduced disease risk. However, no similar effect was observed for circulating protein markers of inflammation. These results provide specificity about how mindfulness interventions may impact distinct inflammatory markers among aging adults in ways that may have important implications for healthspan. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials identifier NCT02888600.

Effect of mindfulness-based intervention on endurance performance under pressure and performance-relevant mental attributes, an interdisciplinary perspective: Protocol for a Mindfulness-Based Peak Performance (MBPP) trial.

Performance under pressure is one of the primary features of competitive sports. Considering that increased competition levels are typically accompanied by elevated stress and anxiety, athletes' ability to cope with stress has gained even more importance in recent years. Accordingly, the current trial, entitled Mindfulness-based Peak Performance (MBPP), will take an interdisciplinary approach (e.g., sport psychology, sports training, and cognitive neuroscience), to more definitively examine whether a MBPP affects athletic performance under pressure and relevant mental attributes. This study is an 8-week, three-arm, randomized controlled trial (RCT). A total of 90 athletes, aged between 18 and 30 years will be recruited. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned into (1) an MBPP group, (2) a self-talk (ST) group, and (3) a wait-list control (WC) group. The MBPP and ST interventions consist of a 60-min session weekly for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes are endurance performance and performance-relevant mental attributes including behavior (i.e., stress response, emotion regulation, and engagement) and neurocognitive processes (e.g., attention, executive function, brain resting state), which will be assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Dispositional mindfulness and athletic psychological skills will be secondary outcomes, also assessed at baseline and post-intervention. The MBPP and ST are expected to improve performance under pressure, but MBPP is expected to show greater improvement than ST. Additionally, we expect the MBPP will improve the relevant mental attributes. The results from this trial might provide rigorous evidence and insight into MBI application in the sports context. ClinicalTrials.govregistration:NCT05612295.

Nightly sleep duration predicts grade point average in the first year of college.

Academic achievement in the first year of college is critical for setting students on a pathway toward long-term academic and life success, yet little is known about the factors that shape early college academic achievement. Given the important role sleep plays in learning and memory, here we extend this work to evaluate whether nightly sleep duration predicts change in end-of-semester grade point average (GPA). First-year college students from three independent universities provided sleep actigraphy for a month early in their winter/spring academic term across five studies. Findings showed that greater early-term total nightly sleep duration predicted higher end-of-term GPA, an effect that persisted even after controlling for previous-term GPA and daytime sleep. Specifically, every additional hour of average nightly sleep duration early in the semester was associated with an 0.07 increase in end-of-term GPA. Sensitivity analyses using sleep thresholds also indicated that sleeping less than 6 h each night was a period where sleep shifted from helpful to harmful for end-of-term GPA, relative to previous-term GPA. Notably, predictive relationships with GPA were specific to total nightly sleep duration, and not other markers of sleep, such as the midpoint of a student's nightly sleep window or bedtime timing variability. These findings across five studies establish nightly sleep duration as an important factor in academic success and highlight the potential value of testing early academic term total sleep time interventions during the formative first year of college.

Neural correlates of mindful disengagement from worry.

Uncontrollable worry is a hallmark of generalized anxiety disorder and a transdiagnostic feature of psychopathology. Mindfulness-based strategies show promise for treating worry, but it is unknown which specific strategies are most beneficial, and how these skills might operate on a neurobiological level. We recruited 40 participants with clinically significant worry to undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging while engaging in real-time, idiographic worry and instructed disengagement using two mindfulness strategies (focused attention, acceptance) and one comparison strategy (suppression). Hypotheses were preregistered and partially supported. All disengagement strategies downregulated default mode and upregulated frontoparietal and salience networks, suggesting some shared mechanisms. Focused attention was most effective for promoting disengagement and elicited decreased activity in cognitive control and sensorimotor regions. Successful disengagement was associated with increased activity in rostrolateral prefrontal cortex and functional connectivity between posterior cingulate and primary somatosensory cortex. Findings support the role of cognitive control and somatosensory networks in disengagement from worry and suggest common and distinct mechanisms of disengagement, with focused attention a particularly promising strategy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric evaluation of a Visual Interpersonal Analog Scale.

Interpersonal theory organizes social behavior along dominant (vs. submissive) and warm (vs. cold) dimensions. There is a growing interest in assessing these behaviors in naturalistic settings to maximize ecological validity and to study dynamic social processes. Studies that have assessed interpersonal behavior in daily life have primarily relied on behavioral checklists. Although checklists have advantages, they are discrepant with techniques used to capture constructs typically assessed alongside warmth and dominance, such as affect, which typically rely on adjective descriptors. Further, these checklists are distinct from the methodologies used at the dispositional level, such as personality inventories, which rarely rely on behavioral checklists. The present study evaluates the psychometric performance of interpersonal adjectives presented on a visual analog scale in five different samples. Validity of the Visual Interpersonal Analog scale (VIAS) approach to momentary assessment was evaluated by comparing its performance with an interpersonal behavior checklist and by examining associations among the VIAS Warmth and Dominance scales and other momentary and dispositional constructs. Results were generally consistent with an existing interpersonal behavior checklist at the within-person level but diverged somewhat at the dispositional level. Across the five samples, the VIAS generally performed as hypothesized at both the within- and between-person levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Lack of Belonging Predicts Depressive Symptomatology in College Students.

Feeling a sense of belonging is a central human motivation that has consequences for mental health and well-being, yet surprisingly little research has examined how belonging shapes mental health among young adults. In three data sets from two universities (exploratory study: N = 157; Confirmatory Study 1: N = 121; Confirmatory Study 2: n = 188 in winter term, n = 172 in spring term), we found that lower levels of daily-assessed feelings of belonging early and across the academic term predicted higher depressive symptoms at the end of the term. Furthermore, these relationships held when models controlled for baseline depressive symptoms, sense of social fit, and other social factors (loneliness and frequency of social interactions). These results highlight the relationship between feelings of belonging and depressive symptoms over and above other social factors. This work underscores the importance of daily-assessed feelings of belonging in predicting subsequent depressive symptoms and has implications for early detection and mental health interventions among young adults.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction increases stimulated IL-6 production among lonely older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

Loneliness is a potent psychosocial stressor that predicts poor health and mortality among older adults, possibly in part by accelerating age-related declines in immunocompetence. Mindfulness interventions have shown promise for reducing loneliness and improving markers of physical health. In a sample of lonely older adults, this two-arm parallel trial tested whether mindfulness training enhances stimulated interleukin-6 (IL-6) production, a measure of innate immune responsivity. Lonely older adults (65-85 years; N = 190) were randomized to an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or control Health Enhancement Program (HEP) intervention. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of IL-6 was measured in vitro by blinded outcome assessors at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Mixed-effects linear models tested time (pre, post, follow-up) by condition (MBSR vs. HEP) effects. As predicted, a significant time × condition effect on stimulated IL-6 production was observed across pre, post, and follow-up timepoints. Significant MBSR vs. HEP differences emerged from pre- to post-intervention (p =.009, d = 0.38) and from pre-intervention to 3-month follow-up (p =.017, d = 0.35), with larger increases in IL-6 production following MBSR compared to HEP. No study-related adverse events were reported. Results show that mindfulness training may be effective for boosting innate immunocompetence among lonely older adults. Given that immunocompetence tends to decline with age, mindfulness training may help to counteract the effects of aging and psychosocial stress on infection risk and recovery from injury.

Smartphone mindfulness meditation training reduces Pro-inflammatory gene expression in stressed adults: A randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness meditation training has been shown to be an effective stress reduction strategy, but less is known about its immunoregulatory impact. In a randomized controlled trial of stressed customer service workers, the present study tested whether a 30-day smartphone-based mindfulness meditation training program (compared to a problem-solving control program) would affect pro-inflammatory gene expression. Both interventions led to reductions in stress levels, but there was no difference in stress reduction between conditions. Consistent with predictions, mindfulness training reduced activity of the pro-inflammatory NF-κB transcription control pathway compared to the active control. These results suggest that mindfulness training may be a particularly effective method for improving immune cell gene expression in stressful work environments.

Punishment on Pause: Preliminary Evidence That Mindfulness Training Modifies Neural Responses in a Reactive Aggression Task.

Reactive aggression, a hostile retaliatory response to perceived threat, has been attributed to failures in emotion regulation. Interventions for reactive aggression have largely focused on cognitive control training, which target top-down emotion regulation mechanisms to inhibit aggressive impulses. Recent theory suggests that mindfulness training (MT) improves emotion regulation via both top-down and bottom-up neural mechanisms and has thus been proposed as an alternative treatment for aggression. Using this framework, the current pilot study examined how MT impacts functional brain physiology in the regulation of reactive aggression. Participants were randomly assigned to 2 weeks of MT (n = 11) or structurally equivalent active coping training (CT) that emphasizes cognitive control (n = 12). Following training, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a retaliatory aggression task, a 16-trial game in which participants could respond to provocation by choosing whether or not to retaliate in the next round. Training groups did not differ in levels of aggression displayed. However, participants assigned to MT exhibited enhanced ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) recruitment during punishment events (i.e., the aversive consequence of losing) relative to those receiving active CT. Conversely, the active coping group demonstrated greater dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) activation when deciding how much to retaliate, in line with a bolstered top-down behavior monitoring function. The findings suggest that mindfulness and cognitive control training may regulate aggression via different neural circuits and at different temporal stages of the provocation-aggression cycle. Trial Registration: identification no. NCT03485807.

Harnessing Life's Slings and Arrows: The Science and Opportunities for Mindfulness Meditation During a Global Pandemic and Beyond.

ABSTRACT: We are at a difficult time in history with societal increases in stress, loneliness, and psychopathology, along with high rates of obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and chronic pain. Mindfulness interventions offer promise to address these societal issues. However, in order to make best use of the opportunities revealed by our current challenges, we must: (1) tackle these issues head-on with inclusive, innovative, and creative experimental designs and interventions, and (2) collectively adhere to rigorous, high quality methods so as to provide an evidence-based integration of mindfulness interventions into mainstream medicine and public health.We find there are several areas for which important advances are happening, including sampling socially diverse populations, examining mechanisms of action, pain management, and health behaviors. Furthermore, rigorous methods, including measurement, causal inference from control groups, delivery and scalability of mindfulness interventions, and effect modifiers to determine who mindfulness programs work best for are also gaining traction. This special issue on Mindfulness: Biobehavioral Mechanisms and Health Outcomes attends to many of these issues, several of which are highlighted in this editorial perspective.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Buffers Glucocorticoid Resistance Among Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness interventions have been effective for improving a range of health outcomes; however, pathways underlying these effects remain unclear. Inflammatory processes may play a role, possibly through increased resistance of immune cells to the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids (i.e., glucocorticoid resistance, or GCR). Here, we conducted an initial examination of whether mindfulness training mitigates GCR among lonely older adults. METHODS: Lonely older adults (65-85 years; n = 190) were randomly assigned to an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or a matched Health Enhancement Program (HEP). Whole blood drawn before and after the intervention and at 3-month follow-up was incubated with endotoxin and varying concentrations of dexamethasone, and interleukin-6 production was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. GCR was assessed as the concentration of dexamethasone required to decrease the stimulated interleukin-6 response by 50% (half maximal inhibitory concentration), with higher concentrations indicating greater GCR. Mixed-effects linear models tested time (pre, post, follow-up) by condition (MBSR versus HEP) effects. RESULTS: There was no overall time by condition effect on GCR across all time points. However, a significant time by condition effect was observed from preintervention to postintervention (d = 0.29), such that MBSR buffered increases in GCR observed in the HEP group. Although MBSR showed small, nonsignificant reductions in GCR from preintervention to 3-month follow-up, group differences were not maintained at the 3-month follow-up (d = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that MBSR may protect against declines in the sensitivity of immune cells to the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids among at-risk lonely older adults and show value in studying this biological mechanism in future trials.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials identifier NCT02888600.

Mindfulness interventions improve momentary and trait measures of attentional control: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness interventions have been shown to improve several subcomponents of attention; however, the psychological mechanisms driving these improvements are unknown. Mindfulness interventions train individuals to monitor present moment experiences while adopting an attitude of acceptance toward these experiences. We conducted a theoretically driven randomized controlled trial to test the putative mechanisms of mindfulness training that drive improvements in attentional control. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: (a) monitor and accept (MA) training, a standard 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention that included cultivation of both monitoring and acceptance skills; (b) monitor only (MO) training, a well-matched modified 8-week MBSR-adapted intervention that focused on monitoring skills only; or (c) no treatment (NT) control. Momentary attentional control was measured via ecological momentary assessment for 3 days at baseline and postintervention. Trait attentional control was assessed at baseline and postintervention using traditional self-report. Participants also completed a dichotic listening task to assess sustained attention at baseline and postintervention. We found that MA and MO participants improved in momentary and trait attentional control (but not attention task performance) relative to NT participants. Analyses of indirect effects were consistent with the possibility that increased momentary attentional control partially accounts for MA/MO intervention-related increases in trait attentional control. This randomized controlled trial provides one of the first experimental tests of the mechanisms of mindfulness interventions that drive improvements in attention outcomes. These findings support the notion that present-focused monitoring skills training drives mindfulness intervention-related improvements in momentary attentional control, which in turn fosters greater trait attentional control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Mindfulness training and systemic low-grade inflammation in stressed community adults: Evidence from two randomized controlled trials.

Mindfulness interventions have garnered significant attention as a complementary health treatment for many physical and psychological conditions. While some research has shown that mindfulness training can decrease psychological and physiological stress responses, it remains unclear whether mindfulness training impacts inflammation-a predictor of poor health outcomes. In addition, little research has examined the active components of mindfulness that may drive health-related improvements. Here, we provide data from two 3-arm randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of mindfulness training on inflammation in stressed community adults. Specifically, we examined whether training individuals to have an accepting attitude towards present moment experiences is a key emotion regulation skill that can lead to decreases in inflammation. Both studies randomly assigned participants to one of three conditions: mindfulness training that taught both attention monitoring and acceptance skills (Monitor+Accept); mindfulness training teaching monitoring without the acceptance component (Monitor Only); or a control condition. Study 1 employed a novel 2-week smartphone-based intervention and Study 2 employed a standard 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention. We hypothesized that Monitor+Accept training would lead to reductions in the inflammatory biomarker C-Reactive Protein (CRP) compared to Monitor Only training and control groups. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found that Monitor+Accept mindfulness training did not lead to reductions in CRP. Exploratory analyses combining study subsamples, however, suggest that both mindfulness interventions may reduce CRP in populations at risk for systemic inflammation-midlife-to-older adults and individuals with high BMI. Overall, the present studies contribute significantly to the question of whether mindfulness interventions can reduce systemic markers of low-grade inflammation.

Psychological mechanisms driving stress resilience in mindfulness training: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness interventions have been shown to reduce stress; however, the mechanisms driving stress resilience effects are not known. Mindfulness interventions aim to teach individuals how to: (a) use attention to monitor present moment experiences; with (b) an attitude of acceptance and equanimity. A randomized controlled dismantling trial (RCT) was conducted to test the prediction that the removal of acceptance skills training would eliminate stress-reduction benefits of a mindfulness intervention. METHOD: This preregistered RCT randomly assigned stressed community adults to 1 of 3 conditions: (a) Monitor and Accept (MA) mindfulness training, a standard 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention that provided explicit instruction in developing both monitoring and acceptance skills; (b) Monitor Only (MO) mindfulness training, a well-matched 8-week MBSR intervention that taught monitoring skills only; or (c) No Treatment (NT) control. Stress and nonjudgment were measured using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for 3 days at baseline and 3 days at postintervention. RESULTS: Consistent with predictions, MA participants increased in nonjudgment and decreased in both stress ratings and the proportion of assessments that they reported experiencing feelings of stress in daily life, relative to both MO and NT participants. CONCLUSIONS: This RCT provides one of the first experimental tests of the mechanisms linking mindfulness interventions with stress resilience. These findings suggest that acceptance skills training may be a necessary active ingredient and support the value of integrating acceptance skills training into stress-reduction interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Mindfulness Training Reduces Stress At Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mindfulness-based interventions have been suggested as one way to improve employee well-being in the workplace. Despite these purported benefits, there have been few well-controlled randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating mindfulness training in the workplace. Here we conducted a two-arm RCT at work among employees of a digital marketing firm comparing the efficacy of a high dose six-week mindfulness training to a low dose single-day mindfulness training for improving multiple measures of employee well-being assessed using ecological momentary assessment. High dose mindfulness training reduced both perceived and momentary stress, and buffered employees against worsened affect and decreased coping efficacy compared to low dose mindfulness training. These results provide well-controlled evidence that mindfulness training programs can reduce momentary stress at work, suggesting that more intensive mindfulness training doses (i.e., 6-weeks) may be necessary for improving workplace well-being outcomes. This RCT utilizes a novel experience sampling approach to measure the effects of a mindfulness intervention on employee well-being and considers potential dose-response effects of mindfulness training at work.

Mindfulness Training and Physical Health: Mechanisms and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: There has been substantial research and public interest in mindfulness interventions, biological pathways, and health for the past two decades. This article reviews recent developments in understanding relationships between mindfulness interventions and physical health. METHODS: A selective review was conducted with the goal of synthesizing conceptual and empirical relationships between mindfulness interventions and physical health outcomes. RESULTS: Initial randomized controlled trials in this area suggest that mindfulness interventions can improve pain management outcomes among chronic pain populations, and there is preliminary evidence for mindfulness interventions improving specific stress-related disease outcomes in some patient populations (i.e., clinical colds, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, diabetes, HIV). We offer a stress-buffering framework for the observed beneficial effects of mindfulness interventions and summarize supporting biobehavioral and neuroimaging studies that provide plausible mechanistic pathways linking mindfulness interventions with positive physical health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude with new opportunities for research and clinical implementations to consider in the next two decades.

Mindfulness training reduces loneliness and increases social contact in a randomized controlled trial.

Loneliness and social isolation are a growing public health concern, yet there are few evidence-based interventions for mitigating these social risk factors. Accumulating evidence suggests that mindfulness interventions can improve social-relationship processes. However, the active ingredients of mindfulness training underlying these improvements are unclear. Developing mindfulness-specific skills-namely, (i) monitoring present-moment experiences with (ii) an orientation of acceptance-may change the way people perceive and relate toward others. We predicted that developing openness and acceptance toward present experiences is critical for reducing loneliness and increasing social contact and that removing acceptance-skills training from a mindfulness intervention would eliminate these benefits. In this dismantling trial, 153 community adults were randomly assigned to a 14-lesson smartphone-based intervention: (i) training in both monitoring and acceptance (Monitor+Accept), (ii) training in monitoring only (Monitor Only), or (iii) active control training. For 3 d before and after the intervention, ambulatory assessments were used to measure loneliness and social contact in daily life. Consistent with predictions, Monitor+Accept training reduced daily-life loneliness by 22% (d = 0.44, P = 0.0001) and increased social contact by two more interactions each day (d = 0.47, P = 0.001) and one more person each day (d = 0.39, P = 0.004), compared with both Monitor Only and control trainings. These findings describe a behavioral therapeutic target for improving social-relationship functioning; by fostering equanimity with feelings of loneliness and social disconnect, acceptance-skills training may allow loneliness to dissipate and encourage greater engagement with others in daily life.

How mindfulness training promotes positive emotions: Dismantling acceptance skills training in two randomized controlled trials.

Mindfulness meditation interventions-which train skills in monitoring present-moment experiences with a lens of acceptance-have shown promise for increasing positive emotions. Using a theory-based approach, we hypothesized that learning acceptance skills in mindfulness interventions helps people notice more positive experiences in daily life, and tested whether removing acceptance training from mindfulness interventions would eliminate intervention-related boosts in positive affect. In 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of stressed community adults, mindfulness skills were dismantled into 2 structurally equivalent interventions: (a) training in both monitoring and acceptance (Monitor + Accept) and (b) training in monitoring only (Monitor Only) without acceptance training. Study 1 tested 8-week group-based Monitor + Accept and Monitor Only interventions compared with a no treatment control group. Study 2 tested 2-week smartphone-based Monitor + Accept and Monitor Only interventions compared with an active control training. In both studies, end-of-day and momentary positive affect and negative affect were measured in daily life for 3 days pre- and post-intervention using ambulatory assessments. As predicted, across 2 RCTs, Monitor + Accept training increased positive affect compared with both Monitor Only and control groups. In Study 1, this effect was observed in end-of-day positive affect. In Study 2, this effect was found in both end-of-day and momentary positive affect outcomes. In contrast, all active interventions in Studies 1 and 2 decreased negative affect. These studies provide the first experimental evidence that developing an orientation of acceptance toward present-moment experiences is a central mechanism of mindfulness interventions for boosting positive emotions in daily life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of brain reward pathways in stress resilience and health.

While it is well established that stress can increase risk for a broad range of health and disease outcomes (e.g., major depression, cardiovascular disease), less is known about factors supporting resilience. An emerging literature indicates that activation of the brain's reward system can mitigate subsequent stress responses to a broad range of stressors in animals and humans, suggesting reward pathways as a novel mechanistic target for fostering resilience under stress. This perspective will: 1) describe the emerging evidence linking primary and secondary rewards with stress buffering effects; 2) identify plausible neurobiological mechanisms; and 3) introduce new links between brain reward activation and reduced stress-related health and disease outcomes. We conclude with a discussion of research opportunities and clinical implications of brain reward effects.

Brief mindfulness training for negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Over the last 10 years, there has been a dramatic increase in published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of brief mindfulness training (from single-session inductions to multisession interventions lasting up to 2 weeks), with some preliminary indications that these training programs may improve mental health outcomes, such as negative affectivity. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether brief mindfulness training reliably reduces negative affectivity. METHOD: PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Mindfulness Research Monthly Newsletter were systematically searched for brief mindfulness intervention RCTs assessing negative affectivity outcomes (e.g., depression, rumination, anxiety, stress). Sixty-five RCTs, including 5,489 participants predominantly without experience in meditation (64.64% female, mean age = 24.62), qualified for the meta-analytic review. RESULTS: The meta-analysis revealed a small but significant effect of brief mindfulness training on reducing negative affectivity compared to control programs (g = .21, p < .001). The overall effect size was significantly moderated by participant characteristics: community samples (g = .41, p < .001) produced larger training effects compared to student samples (g = .14, p = .001; Qbetween p = .03). No significant effect size differences were found between clinical and nonclinical samples. However, when accounting for publication bias, the overall effect size of brief mindfulness training programs on negative affectivity was significantly reduced (g = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Brief mindfulness training programs are increasingly popular approaches for reducing negative affectivity. This meta-analysis indicates that brief mindfulness training modestly reduces negative affectivity. Quantitative analyses indicated the presence of publication bias (i.e., unpublished null effect studies), highlighting the need to continue rigorous evaluation of brief mindfulness interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record