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The present study examined the effectiveness of daily mindful breathing practices on test anxiety of university students. A total of 36 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a training mindful breathing condition (n = 12), a training cognitive reappraisal condition (contrast group, n = 12), and a non-training condition (control group, n = 12). Each of the participants trained by themselves for 6 days after they had taken one session of education for mindful or cognitive reappraisal practices. They wrote their experiences on daily worksheets and sent it by mobile with taking pictures that were confirmed by the researcher. Before and after training, each of the participants completed a questionnaire to assess: test anxiety, positive thought, and positive affect. The results of the study showed that both mindful breathing practice and cognitive reappraisal practice yielded large effect sizes in reducing test anxiety. In addition, the mindful breathing condition scored significantly higher on positive thoughts than the cognitive reappraisal and control conditions. The findings of this study suggest that both daily mindful breathing and cognitive reappraisal practices were effective in reducing test anxiety; however, mindful breathing increased positive automatic thoughts to a greater extent than cognitive reappraisal.
The present study examined the effectiveness of daily mindful breathing practices on test anxiety of university students. A total of 36 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a training mindful breathing condition (n = 12), a training cognitive reappraisal condition (contrast group, n = 12), and a non-training condition (control group, n = 12). Each of the participants trained by themselves for 6 days after they had taken one session of education for mindful or cognitive reappraisal practices. They wrote their experiences on daily worksheets and sent it by mobile with taking pictures that were confirmed by the researcher. Before and after training, each of the participants completed a questionnaire to assess: test anxiety, positive thought, and positive affect. The results of the study showed that both mindful breathing practice and cognitive reappraisal practice yielded large effect sizes in reducing test anxiety. In addition, the mindful breathing condition scored significantly higher on positive thoughts than the cognitive reappraisal and control conditions. The findings of this study suggest that both daily mindful breathing and cognitive reappraisal practices were effective in reducing test anxiety; however, mindful breathing increased positive automatic thoughts to a greater extent than cognitive reappraisal.
BACKGROUND:Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been widely used to treat patients with depressive disorder to prevent relapse. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of newly developed MBCT program as an adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.
METHODS:
Forty-six patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder were assigned to either MBCT or an anxiety disorder education (ADE) program for a period of 8 weeks. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to assess the patients at 0 week and after the two programs had been running for 2, 4, and 8 weeks.
RESULTS:
The MBCT group demonstrated significantly more improvement than the ADE group according to all anxiety (HAM-A, p<0.01; BAI, p<0.01; anxiety subscale of SCL-90-R, p=0.01) and depression (HAM-D, p<0.01; BDI, p<0.01; depression subscale of SCL-90-R, p<0.01) scale scores. The obsessive-compulsive and phobic subscales of the SCL-90-R also showed significantly more improvement in the MBCT group. However, no significant improvement was observed in the MBCT group versus the ADE group in terms of the somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, or psychoticism subscale scores of the SCL-90-R.
CONCLUSIONS:
MBCT may be effective at relieving anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. However, well-designed, randomized controlled trials are needed.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been studied to treat patients with depressive or anxiety disorders. The aim of this study was to examine whether MBCT is effective as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with panic disorder. Twenty-three patients with panic disorder were included in a MBCT program for a period of 8 weeks. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ), and Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were used to assess the patients during the MBCT program. Both HAM-A and PDSS scores were significantly decreased at the 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks compared to baseline in the patients with panic disorder (HAM-A, p<0.01; PDSS, p<0.01). Also, BAI, APPQ and ASI-R were improved significantly after MBCT program (BAI, p<0.01; APPQ, p<0.01; ASI-R, p<0.01). In addition, all subscale scores of ASI-R decreased significantly. MBCT could be effective as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in patients with panic disorder. However, randomized controlled trials are needed.
OBJECTIVES:Depression, a common mental health problem, is projected to be the second leading cause of disability for adults by year 2020. Mindfulness-based interventions (MFIs) have been integrated into therapeutic work on depression, but limited systematic reviews reported their efficacy on heterogeneous groups of mental disorders. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the efficacy of the MFIs on depressive symptoms in people with various mental disorders.
DESIGN:
A meta-analysis of experimental and quasi-experimental studies was undertaken.
DATA SOURCES:
Multiple search strategies were undertaken to identify published and unpublished studies conducted between 1995 and 2011. Electronic databases used were Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, ScienceDirect, PsyINFO, Dissertation Abstract International, Web of Science Index, Controlled-trial.com, and clinicaltrials.gov.
REVIEW METHODS:
Data were extracted and appraised by two reviewers. For each study, the Quality Rating Index (QRI) and Code Sheet for Randomized Controlled Trials (CS-RCT) were used to assess methodological quality and extract relevant data respectively. Data were analysed and synthesized using PASW statistic 17.0 and Comprehensive Meta Analyses Software 2.0.
RESULTS:
Thirty-nine studies conducted in ten countries were included and 105 effect sizes were calculated. Most studies utilised single group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, convenience sampling, and self-reported questionnaires. Between-group comparisons indicated that MFIs are superior to standard care in reducing depressive symptoms and preventing relapse with effect sizes ranging from 0.11 to 1.65. Exposure-based cognitive therapy (d=2.09) appeared to be the most efficacious intervention, followed by mindfulness-based stress reduction programme (d=1.92), acceptance-based behaviour therapy (d=1.33), and stress less with mindfulness (d=1.31). Effect sizes were significantly associated with the length of intervention sessions but not related to methodological quality of studies.
CONCLUSION:
The mindfulness-based interventions are efficacious for alleviating depressive symptoms in adults with mental disorders. The interventions could be used in conjunction with other treatments in clinical settings.
PurposeAlthough the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for panic disorder (PD) has been studied previously, data on the predictors of treatment outcomes in MBCT for PD are scarce.
Materials and Methods
Eighty patients with PD were screened to analyze treatment outcomes such as MBCT completion, treatment response, and remission after undergoing MBCT for PD. Sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid personality disorders, and baseline medication doses were examined. The study administered the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-Revised to patients at baseline and at eight weeks.
Results
Sixty-five participants were enrolled in the present study. Comorbid personality disorder was significantly associated with MBCT non-completion. We found that anxiety sensitivity (AS) improvement after an eight week MBCT program was a statistically significant factor associated with treatment response. Using logistic regression analysis, AS improvement after MBCT showed significant association with PD remission after MBCT.
Conclusion
Comorbid personality disorders of participants could be a potential predictor of MBCT non-completion. Furthermore, AS improvement after MBCT may predict treatment response and remission after MBCT for PD. However, better designed studies with a larger number of patients are needed to confirm our findings.
This study explored the use of Yoga by using a cross-sectional analysis of 286 young adult cancer survivors. The aim was to explore yoga practice, reasons for using this therapy; predictors of yoga use and any potential relationship between yoga use and well-being. Ninety one participants (32.82%) reported practicing yoga from their initial diagnosis. Practitioners reported a relatively high intensity (mean: 7.46 h/month) and length (25.88 months) of practice. The most common reasons given for undertaking yoga were to maintain flexibility and promote relaxation. Sociodemographic predictors of yoga use included gender, higher education with increased yoga use generally related to enhanced feelings of well-being. Results suggest that yoga use is more commonly used by cancer survivors with greater resources. Understanding more about the use of yoga by cancer survivors may facilitate the development and promotion of yoga-based interventions.
This study investigated the role of dispositional mindful attention in immediate reactivity to, and subsequent recovery from, laboratory-induced negative emotion. One hundred and fourteen undergraduates viewed blocks of negative pictures followed by neutral pictures. Participants' emotional responses to negative pictures and subsequent neutral pictures were assessed via self-reported ratings. Participants' emotional response to negative pictures was used to index level of emotional reactivity to unpleasant stimuli; emotional response to neutral pictures presented immediately after the negative pictures was used to index level of emotional recovery from pre-induced negative emotion (residual negativity). Results indicated that mindful attention was not associated with the emotional response to negative pictures, but it was associated with reduced negative emotion in response to the neutral pictures presented immediately after the negative pictures, suggesting better recovery as opposed to reduced reactivity. This effect was especially pronounced in later experimental blocks when the accumulation of negative stimuli produced greater negative emotion from which participants had to recover. The current study extends previous findings on the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and reduced negative emotion by demonstrating that mindful attention may facilitate better recovery from negative emotion, possibly through more effective disengagement from previous stimuli.
Backgroundand purpose: The stress and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are intertwined and affecting each other. This pilot study evaluated the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in Korean patients with SLE.
Materials and methods
The Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were evaluated for the effect of the MBCT in 25 patients.
Results
The BDI-II, BAI, SWLS, and PSS before the MBCT were 24.2 ± 10.6, 19.1 ± 9.7, 14.7 ± 6.5, and 20.4 ± 3.8, respectively. Eighteen patients completed the MBCT. After the MBCT, BDI-II, BAI, and PSS improved to 17.4 ± 13.0 (p < 0.01), 13.4 ± 7.7 (p = 0.04), and 17.9 ± 4.6 (p = 0.04), respectively. However, SWLS and SLE disease activity did not.
Conclusion
The MBCT could reduce the anxiety, depression, and stress but not SLE disease activity.
Mindfulness involves reducing potential influences from aversive cognitions, sensations, and emotions on behavior. Mindfulness may influence the experience of pain-related anxiety, and thereby enhance other aspects of physical and psychosocial functioning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate a potential mediating role of pain-related anxiety between mindfulness and physical and psychosocial functioning in chronic pain patients. This cross-sectional/correlational study used archival data (N = 226) obtained from the larger Korean Pain Study at a university-based pain-management center in Korea. Based on the inclusion criterion for the present study, archival data were analyzed for a final sample of 179 patients with chronic pain. Structural equation analyses showed that both the partial- and full-mediation models had adequate goodness-of-fit indices for physical and psychosocial functioning. Subsequent chi-square tests, however, indicated that the more parsimonious full-mediation model was preferred to the partial-mediation model for physical and psychosocial functioning. Bootstrapping procedures yielded significant mediation effects of pain-related anxiety in the full-mediation models on physical and psychosocial functioning. These findings suggest that being mindful may lead indirectly to a decrease in the disabling influences of pain-related anxiety, thereby contributing to better physical and psychosocial functioning, rather than playing a direct contributing role for better functioning among chronic pain patients in Korea.
Mindfulness involves reducing potential influences from aversive cognitions, sensations, and emotions on behavior. Mindfulness may influence the experience of pain-related anxiety, and thereby enhance other aspects of physical and psychosocial functioning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate a potential mediating role of pain-related anxiety between mindfulness and physical and psychosocial functioning in chronic pain patients. This cross-sectional/correlational study used archival data (N = 226) obtained from the larger Korean Pain Study at a university-based pain-management center in Korea. Based on the inclusion criterion for the present study, archival data were analyzed for a final sample of 179 patients with chronic pain. Structural equation analyses showed that both the partial- and full-mediation models had adequate goodness-of-fit indices for physical and psychosocial functioning. Subsequent chi-square tests, however, indicated that the more parsimonious full-mediation model was preferred to the partial-mediation model for physical and psychosocial functioning. Bootstrapping procedures yielded significant mediation effects of pain-related anxiety in the full-mediation models on physical and psychosocial functioning. These findings suggest that being mindful may lead indirectly to a decrease in the disabling influences of pain-related anxiety, thereby contributing to better physical and psychosocial functioning, rather than playing a direct contributing role for better functioning among chronic pain patients in Korea.
When young refugee English language learners (ELLs) start formal schooling in the United States, the social-emotional learning (SEL) appropriate for the U.S. school context may be especially unfamiliar to them. By interviewing six elementary school teachers, this exploratory study examined how teachers describe refugee ELLs' social-emotional competencies and what pedagogical methods they report using with refugee ELLs for their social-emotional skills development. This study also considered to what extent teachers' views of their refugee ELL students' SEL and their self-reported pedagogies reflect their recognition of refugee ELLs' funds of knowledge, teachers' development of culturally sustaining pedagogies, and teachers' use of power to promote equity and social justice in the classroom. The teachers identified a range of social-emotional skills, in particular social awareness and relationship skills, as important for refugee ELLs to develop. To help them, the teachers used various pedagogical methods, including explicit teaching, individualizing, creating a positive climate, and collaboration and support. However, the teachers' views of their refugee students' SEL and their self-reported pedagogical methods were largely deficit-oriented. Interpreting our findings within the existing literature from the critical perspective provides critical insights into teachers' perspectives and approaches to supporting refugee ELLs' SEL in early elementary grades.
Forest bathing has beneficial effects on human health via showering of forest aerosols as well as physical relaxation. Terpenes that consist of multiple isoprene units are the largest class of organic compounds produced by various plants, and one of the major components of forest aerosols. Traditionally, terpene-containing plant oil has been used to treat various diseases without knowing the exact functions or the mechanisms of action of the individual bioactive compounds. This review categorizes various terpenes easily obtained from forests according to their anti-inflammatory, anti-tumorigenic, or neuroprotective activities. Moreover, potential action mechanisms of the individual terpenes and their effects on such processes, which are described in various in vivo and in vitro systems, are discussed. In conclusion, the studies that show the biological effectiveness of terpenes support the benefits of forest bathing and propose a potential use of terpenes as chemotherapeutic agents for treating various human diseases.