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Recent research has begun to distinguish between various aspects of self-report measures of mindfulness, including the distinction between mindful process and outcome. Therefore, our primary goal in this study was to examine whether an increase in mindful outcome mediated the relationship between an increase in mindful process and improvements in mental and physical health and perceived stress among mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) participants. Consistent with expectations, we found that changes in mindful outcome partially mediated relationships between changes in mindful process and two outcomes: mental health and perceived stress (but not physical health). Moreover, as expected, in an alternate model, changes in mindful outcome did not facilitate changes in mindful process and improvements in any of the outcome variables. The implications and limitations of these findings, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.
Past research has examined the relationship between religious beliefs and intergroup bias but has not investigated the relationship between specific religious practices and bias. The current work fills this gap by investigating differences in racial prejudice between individuals engaged in an active compassion-based meditation practice and those who have no experience with meditation. We found that a group of experienced compassion-based meditators (from a range of religious traditions) expressed less racial prejudice and more empathy compared to a group of participants who had no experience with meditation, and that differences in prejudice were mediated by empathy. These results suggest that compassion-based meditators express lower levels of explicit, racial prejudice than non-meditators and that these differences are explained by differences in empathy. The implications of our results as well as future directions for research are discussed.
OBJECTIVE:The purpose of the study was to examine weekly change in self-reported mindfulness and perceived stress in participants who completed an 8-week course in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).
METHOD:
Participants were 87 adults with problematic levels of stress related to chronic illness, chronic pain, and other life circumstances (mean age = 49 years, 67% female) participating in MBSR in an academic medical center. They completed weekly self-report assessments of mindfulness skills and perceived stress. It was hypothesized that significant improvement in mindfulness skills would precede significant change in stress.
RESULTS:
Mindfulness skills and perceived stress both changed significantly from pretreatment to posttreatment. Significant increases in mindfulness occurred by the second week of the program, whereas significant improvements in perceived stress did not occur until week 4. Extent of change in mindfulness skills during the first three weeks predicted change in perceived stress over the course of the intervention.
CONCLUSIONS:
Evidence that changes in mindfulness precede changes in perceived stress in a standard MBSR course is consistent with previous studies suggesting that improvements in mindfulness skills may mediate the effects of mindfulness training on mental health outcomes.
ObjectiveThe purpose of the study was to examine weekly change in self-reported mindfulness and perceived stress in participants who completed an 8-week course in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Method Participants were 87 adults with problematic levels of stress related to chronic illness, chronic pain, and other life circumstances (mean age = 49 years, 67% female) participating in MBSR in an academic medical center. They completed weekly self-report assessments of mindfulness skills and perceived stress. It was hypothesized that significant improvement in mindfulness skills would precede significant change in stress. Results Mindfulness skills and perceived stress both changed significantly from pretreatment to posttreatment. Significant increases in mindfulness occurred by the second week of the program, whereas significant improvements in perceived stress did not occur until week 4. Extent of change in mindfulness skills during the first three weeks predicted change in perceived stress over the course of the intervention. Conclusions Evidence that changes in mindfulness precede changes in perceived stress in a standard MBSR course is consistent with previous studies suggesting that improvements in mindfulness skills may mediate the effects of mindfulness training on mental health outcomes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Clin. Psychol. 68:755-765, 2012