Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine 3/2008

Open Access 01-06-2008 | Original Article

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Psychological Well-being and Quality of Life: Is Increased Mindfulness Indeed the Mechanism?

Authors: Ivan Nyklíček, Ph.D., Karlijn F. Kuijpers, M.A.

Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 3/2008

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Although several studies have reported positive effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention on psychological well-being, it is not known whether these effects are attributable to a change in mindfulness.

Purpose

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of MBSR to a waiting-list control condition in a randomized controlled trial while examining potentially mediating effects of mindfulness.

Methods

Forty women and 20 men from the community with symptoms of distress (mean age 43.6 years, SD = 10.1) were randomized into a group receiving MBSR or a waiting-list control group. Before and after the intervention period, questionnaires were completed on psychological well-being, quality of life, and mindfulness.

Results

Repeated measures multiple analysis of variance (MANCOVAs) showed that, compared with the control group, the intervention resulted in significantly stronger reductions of perceived stress (p = 0.016) and vital exhaustion (p = 0.001) and stronger elevations of positive affect (p = 0.006), quality of life (p = .009), as well as mindfulness (p = 0.001). When mindfulness was included as a covariate in the MANCOVA, the group effects on perceived stress and quality of life were reduced to nonsignificance.

Conclusion

Increased mindfulness may, at least partially, mediate the positive effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention.
Literature
1.
Kabat-Zinn J. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York: Delacourt; 1990.
2.
Kabat-Zinn J. An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: theoretical considerations and preliminary results. Gen Hosp Psych. 1982; 4: 33–47.CrossRef
3.
Bishop SR. What do we really know about mindfulness-based stress reduction? Psychosom Med. 2002; 64: 71–83.PubMed
4.
Grossman P, Niemann L, Schmidt S, Walach H. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: a meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res. 2004; 57: 35–43.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Teasdale JD, Moore RG, Hayhurst H, Pope M, Williams S, Segal ZV. Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: empirical evidence. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002; 70: 275–287.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Thera N. The Power of Mindfulness. San Francisco, CA: Unity; 1972.
7.
Chang VY, Palesh O, Caldwell R, et al. The effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on stress, mindfulness self-efficacy, and positive states of mind. Stress Health. 2004; 20: 141–147.CrossRef
8.
Reibel DK, Greeson JM, Brainard GC, Rosenzweig S. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health-related quality of life in a heterogeneous patient population. Gen Hosp Psych. 2001; 23: 183–192.CrossRef
9.
Astin JA. Stress reduction through mindfulness meditation. Effects on psychological symptomatology, sense of control, and spiritual experiences. Psychother Psychosom. 1997; 66: 97–106.PubMedCrossRef
10.
Speca M, Carlson LE, Goodey E, Angen M. A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: the effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosom Med. 2000; 62: 613–622.PubMed
11.
Carlson LE, Speca M, Patel KD, Goodey E. Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress, and immune parameters in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychosom Med. 2003; 65: 571–581.PubMedCrossRef
12.
Shapiro SL, Astin JA, Bishop SR, Cordova M. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for health care professionals: results from a randomized trial. Int J Stress Manag. 2005; 12: 164–176.CrossRef
13.
Jain S, Shapiro SL, Swanick S, et al. A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction. Annals Behav Med. 2007; 33: 11–21.CrossRef
14.
Kabat-Zinn J, Massion AO, Kristeller J, et al. Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatr. 1992; 149: 936–943.PubMed
15.
Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE, Bonner G. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. J Behav Med. 1998; 21: 581–599.PubMedCrossRef
16.
Carlson LE, Garland SN. Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on sleep, mood, stress and fatigue symptoms in cancer outpatients. Int J Behav Med. 2005; 12: 278–285.PubMedCrossRef
17.
Shapiro SL, Bootzin RR, Figueredo AJ, Lopez AM, Schwartz GE. The efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the treatment of sleep disturbance in women with breast cancer: an exploratory study. J Psychosom Res. 2003; 54: 85–91.PubMedCrossRef
18.
Kabat-Zinn J, Lipworth L, Burney R. The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. J Behav Med. 1985; 8: 163–190.PubMedCrossRef
19.
Astin JA, Berman BM, Bausell B, Lee WL, Hochberg M, Forys KL. The efficacy of mindfulness meditation plus Qigong movement therapy in the treatment of fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. J Rheumatol. 2003; 30: 2257–2262.PubMed
20.
Brown KW, Ryan RM. The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003; 84: 822–848.PubMedCrossRef
21.
Roth B, Robbins D. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health-related quality of life: findings from a bilingual inner-city patient population. Psychosom Med. 2004; 66: 113–123.PubMedCrossRef
22.
Toneatto T, Nguyen L. Does mindfulness meditation improve anxiety and mood symptoms? A review of the controlled research. Can J Psychiatry. 2007; 52: 260–266.PubMed
23.
Sephton SE, Salmon P, Weissbecker I, et al. Mindfulness meditation alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia: results of a randomized clinical trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2007; 57: 77–85.PubMedCrossRef
24.
Tacon AM, McComb J, Caldera Y, Randolph P. Mindfulness meditation, anxiety reduction, and heart disease: a pilot study. Fam Commun Health. 2003; 26: 25–33.
25.
Ott MJ, Norris RL, Bauer-Wu SM. Mindfulness meditation for oncology patients: a discussion and critical review. Integrativ Cancer Therapies. 2006; 5: 98–108.CrossRef
26.
Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, Krietemeyer J, Toney L. Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment. 2006; 13: 27–45.PubMedCrossRef
27.
Carmody J, Baer RA. Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. J Behav Med. (in press).
28.
Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983; 24: 385–396.PubMedCrossRef
29.
Cohen S, Tyrrell DA, Smith AP. Negative life events, perceived stress, negative affect, and susceptibility to the common cold. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1993; 64: 131–140.PubMedCrossRef
30.
Appels A, Mulder P. Fatigue and heart disease. The association between ‘vital exhaustion’ and past, present and future coronary heart disease. J Psychosom Res. 1989; 33: 727–738.PubMedCrossRef
31.
van Diest R. Subjective sleep characteristics as coronary risk factors, their association with type A behaviour and vital exhaustion. J Psychosom Res. 1990; 34: 415–426.PubMedCrossRef
32.
Meesters C, Appels A. An interview to measure vital exhaustion. I. Development and comparison with the Maastricht Questionnaire. Psychol Health. 1996; 11: 557–571.CrossRef
33.
Denollet J. Emotional distress and fatigue in coronary heart disease: the Global Mood Scale (GMS). Psychol Med. 1993; 23: 111–121.PubMedCrossRef
34.
WHOQOL Group. Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychol Med. 1998; 28: 551–558.CrossRef
35.
Baer RA, Smith GT, Allen KB. Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: the Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. Assessment. 2004; 11: 191–206.PubMedCrossRef
36.
Judd LL, Rapaport MH, Yonkers KA, et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine for acute treatment of minor depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatr. 2004; 161: 1864–1871.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986; 51: 1173–1182.PubMedCrossRef
38.
Robinson FP, Mathews HL, Witek-Janusek L. Psycho-endocrine-immune response to mindfulness-based stress reduction in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus: a quasiexperimental study. J Altern Complement Med. 2003; 9: 683–694.PubMedCrossRef
39.
De Vries J, Van Heck GL. Nederlandse handleiding van de WHOQoL [Dutch manual of the WHOQoL]. Tilburg: Tilburg University; 2000.
40.
Carlson LE, Brown KW. Validation of the mindful attention awareness scale in a cancer population. J Psychosom Res. 2005; 58: 29–33.PubMedCrossRef
41.
Hanestad BR, Albrektsen G. The stability of quality of life experience in people with type 1 diabetes over a period of a year. J Adv Nurs. 1992; 17: 777–784.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Kingston J, Chadwick P, Meron D, Skinner TC. A pilot randomized control trial investigating the effect of mindfulness practice on pain tolerance, psychological well-being, and physiological activity. J Psychosom Res. 2007; 62: 297–300.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Ramel W, Goldin PR, Carmona PE, McQuaid JR. The effects of mindfulness meditation on cognitive processes and affect in patients with past depression. Cogn Ther Res. 2004; 28: 433–455.CrossRef
44.
Weissbecker I, Salmon P, Studts JL, Floyd AR, Dedert EA, Sephton SE. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and sense of coherence among women with fibromyalgia. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2002; 9: 297–307.CrossRef
45.
Carlson LE, Ursuliak Z, Goodey E, Angen M, Speca M. The effects of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients: 6-month follow-up. Support Care Cancer. 2001; 9: 112–123.PubMedCrossRef
46.
Davidson RJ, Kabat-Zinn J, Schumacher J, et al. Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosom Med. 2003; 65: 564–570.PubMedCrossRef
47.
Ostafin BD, Chawla N, Bowen S, Dillworth TM, Witkiewitz K, Marlatt GA. Intensive mindfulness training and the reduction of psychological distress: a preliminary study. Cogn Behav Pract. 2006; 13: 191–197.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Psychological Well-being and Quality of Life: Is Increased Mindfulness Indeed the Mechanism?
Authors
Ivan Nyklíček, Ph.D.
Karlijn F. Kuijpers, M.A.
Publication date
01-06-2008
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Annals of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 3/2008
Print ISSN: 0883-6612
Electronic ISSN: 1532-4796
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-008-9030-2

Other articles of this Issue 3/2008

Annals of Behavioral Medicine 3/2008 Go to the issue

Original Article

Relation Between Central Adiposity and Cognitive Function in the Maine–Syracuse Study: Attenuation by Physical Activity

Original Article

Clinical Implications of Numeracy: Theory and Practice

Rapid Commuication

Small Changes in Nutrition and Physical Activity Promote Weight Loss and Maintenance: 3-Month Evidence from the ASPIRE Randomized Trial

Original Article

Exploring Refinements in Targeted Behavioral Medicine Intervention to Advance Public Health

Original Article

Are Constructs of the Transtheoretical Model for Physical Activity Measured Equivalently Between Sexes, Age Groups, and Ethnicities?

Original Article

Lifetime Characteristics of Participants and Non-participants in a Smoking Cessation Trial: Implications for External Validity and Public Health Impact