Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Feasibility And Outcomes Of Concurrent Parent And Child Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Melissa Read

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have shown to be effective in improving child and parent outcomes, including parental stress (Burgdorf et al., 2019; Friedmutter, 2016), child behaviour problems, and child executive functioning (Cheang et al., 2019; Donald et al., 2019; Dunning et al., 2019). The field of mindfulness has evolved to include parents and children together in programs, called parallel or concurrent parent and child MBIs. Children who have experienced adversity may be at a greater need for MBIs, as MBIs target stress and emotion regulation, areas where these children may need greater support (Bethell et al., 2016; Brenmer, 2003). As a …

The Influences Of The Mindfulness Ambassador Program On Graduate Students, Varsha Vasudevan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The two-fold primary purpose of this pilot study was to: (1) explore, qualitatively, the influence of the Mindfulness Ambassador Program (MAP) on graduate students’ experiences of stress and their relationship with themselves and meaningful others; and (2) investigate, quantitatively, if participation in the MAP elicited changes in graduate students’ levels of stress, self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and/or social connectedness. The secondary purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of graduate students’ satisfaction with the MAP. This one-group mixed-method study utilized a brief demographic questionnaire, open-ended questions, semi-structured interviews, two MAP-specific program questionnaires, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Situational Self-Awareness …

Interventions Based On Mindfulness For Socio-Emotional Skill Building In Children On The Autism Spectrum: A Systematic Review, Nethnie Thilakna Nandadasa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Children on the autism spectrum are characterized by deficits in socioemotional skills. Previous research suggests that mindfulness is effective in improving social, emotional, and behavioural skills in a wide variety of populations. This review systematically investigated the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in improving social, emotional, and behavioural functioning in children on the autism spectrum (0-12 years of age). Furthermore, the current review discussed adaptations to traditional MBIs when implemented to children on the autism spectrum. MBIs as a potential evidence-based practice for the target population was also investigated. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Results indicated that MBIs led to …

Mindfulness With Children And Youth: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry Into Paediatric Therapists' Experiences, Kirsten S. Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Mindfulness has become popular as a treatment approach for many health conditions and has been taken up by diverse health practitioners in recent years. While research into mindfulness-based interventions is on the rise, much of this research originates in the field of psychology and is aimed toward adult populations. Occupational therapists, including those working with children and youth, have begun to take up mindfulness to support their clients to participate in daily activities, and there is evidence that clinical uptake has outpaced research in this area.

Method: A scoping review was undertaken to understand the breadth of literature regarding …

The Psychotherapeutic Effects Of Consumer-Grade Eeg Neurofeedback On Mental Health And Well-Being, Madeline Slack

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study assessed whether pairing mindfulness meditation with consumer-grade neurofeedback (using Muse) would be a feasible and satisfying (i.e., fulfillment and pleasure) intervention for mental health and well-being. This was assessed via a four-day mindfulness program where participants (N=34) were assigned to mindfulness with neurofeedback (n=17) or guided meditation (control; n=17) group. On each day of the program, participants engaged in two mindful sessions (five minutes each) in the morning and afternoon. Participants were administered a series of affective measures before and after the program, as well as throughout. Upon completion, participants were asked to rate …

Virtual Reality, Mindfulness And Their Associations To Personality Traits, Somer Schaffer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness, conceptualized as actively noticing and engaging with oneself and one’s surroundings with a nonjudgmental mind, is associated with many positive outcomes such as healthy relationships, stress reduction, performance engagement, and increased well-being. Virtual reality (VR) technologies offer people immersive experiences to engage with novel environments for entertaining and therapeutic purposes. While in any VR environment, participants may perceive themselves as if they are in the scenes, that is, they experience moment-to-moment awareness and immersion in these virtual environments. Thus, practicing mindfulness meditation with technologies like smartphones and VR has become increasingly popular over the past decade. However, little research …

The Experience Of Mindfulness And Its Nondual Nature In Active Practitioners, Benjamin Tran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness-based interventions have become well-established in the literature as an effective treatment for various health issues. Its application in psychology is predominantly informed by dualism; however, according to its Eastern traditions, a true understanding of mindfulness is developed via nondualistic ontological experiences that emerge in a mindfulness state. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of mindfulness and its nondual nature as it is experienced in the world. Hermeneutical phenomenology, informed by an interpretivist lens, was employed. A sample of 13 mindfulness practitioners were individually interviewed. The experience of mindfulness and its nondual nature was considered through …

Making Mindfulness Matter With Arabic Speaking Families: A Process Evaluation Study, Amal M. Baobaid

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Arabic-speaking refugees experience a significant amount of trauma in their pre-and post-migration journey in Canada, which can negatively impact their well-being. Mindfulness programs have demonstrated wide-ranging benefits for children and youth, but there is a gap in the literature on providing culturally based mindfulness programs to refugee families. The present study conducted a process evaluation for the culturally adapted version of the Making Mindfulness Matter (M3) program (an 8-week concurrent parent and children mindfulness intervention), to assess program successes and challenges with families. Three groups were run, and a total of nine families recruited from the Muslim Resources Centre for …

Exploring The Feasibility Of A Concurrent Mindful Awareness Program, M3, For Children In A Community Setting, Alyssa E. Mueller

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored the feasibility of the Making Mindfulness Matter (M3) program for children. M3 is a universal eight-week, concurrent parent and child mindfulness program implemented in a community setting. The M3 curriculum includes mindful awareness concepts, social emotional learning, neuroscience and positive psychology. Ninety-seven children between the ages of 3-10-years and their parents participated in the M3 program. Children completed a mindfulness knowledge questionnaire pre and post-intervention and their responses to prompting questions related to using the skills at home were recorded. Parents completed the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning pre and post-intervention to investigate the efficacy of …

Moving Beyond The Mat: Exploring The Application Of Mindfulness Training In Professional And Educational Settings, Emily G. Nielsen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives. This dissertation provides an evaluation of three web-based mindfulness interventions administered to legal professionals and graduate students — populations characterized by high rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. Chapter 2, Study 1. Lawyers completed questionnaires before and after engaging in Cho and Gifford’s (2016) 8-week Anxious Lawyer program. Analyses revealed improvements in perceived stress; mood; resilience; trait mindfulness; and the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms over time. Chapter 2, Study 2. Lawyers were randomly assigned to either an experimental or waitlist control condition. Well-being was measured at the beginning of the study (i.e., Time 1), after experimental …

Acceptability Of Making Mindfulness Matter (M3): A Community Based Program For Families Experiencing Adversity, Emilia Pacholec

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study utilized a mixed methods sequential embedded design to explore the acceptability of Making Mindfulness Matter (M3), an eight-week, concurrent intervention for families who have experienced adversity, from the parent’s perspective. M3 incorporates education and skills development around mindfulness, social-emotional learning, positive psychology, and neuroscience. Participants were 74 families, with children ages four to nine, who participated in the M3 program at a family support and crisis centre. Frequency data was collected for attendance and skills use between sessions. An inductive content analysis was used to identify the key themes pertaining to parent’s experience with the M3 program. The …

The Development And Validation Of A Preliminary Meditation Intentions Questionnaire, Daniel Kharlas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Meditation programs and mindfulness interventions have become increasingly popular over the last 30 years in both clinical and non-clinical populations. However, challenges such as motivating participants in 8-week programs and adherence rates are issues in many mindfulness meditation interventions. The Meditation Intentions Questionnaire (MIQ) was developed as a measure intended to guide participants to set their own goals and intentions for meditation. The MIQ has six subscales with 8 items each. The subscales assess intentions for participating in meditation programs in the following domains: cognitive enhancement, increased emotional control, greater positive affect, stress relief, spiritual discovery and psychological discovery. Items …

Hardiness, Perseverative Cognition, Anxiety, And Health-Related Outcomes: A Case For And Against Psychological Hardiness, Christopher M. Kowalski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present study investigates the utility of psychological hardiness as well as the differences between rumination and worry. Undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing hardiness, worry, rumination, mindfulness, neuroticism, anxiety, somatization, coping, and health. Correlations and partial correlations controlling for neuroticism were examined. Hardiness was negatively correlated with neuroticism, rumination, worry, and anxiety and positively correlated with mindfulness, coping, and health. When neuroticism was statistically controlled, the relationships between hardiness and rumination, health, and coping became nonsignificant, and the relationships between hardiness and worry, mindfulness, and anxiety although attenuated, remained significant. Rumination and worry positively correlated, but when neuroticism was statistically …

Mindful Resilience: Investigating Mindfulness And Resilience In Relation To A Broad Range Of Adversity, Aaron J. Halliday

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation research sought to establish a complex understanding of the relationships between adversity severity, resiliency, mindfulness (and its mediating mechanism components: reperceiving, values clarification, exposure, cognitive-emotional-behvioural flexibility, and self-regulation). Through one cross-sectional (N = 914) and one repeated-measures study (Time 1 N = 1891; Time 2 N = 990) these relationships are investigated using online questionnaire batteries and assessed via multiple regression analysis. Initial findings demonstrated an effective, reliable, and valid assessment of adversity severity was developed and that this variable contributes to the experience of adversity and the resiliency process. Additional findings indicated the majority of the …

Mindfulness And Individual Error Orientation In High Reliability Organizations, Ellen Choi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness is a concept drawn from the contemplative traditions that refers to present-moment, non-judgmental awareness. Exactly how applicable mindfulness is in the workplace requires further empirical validation, particularly on outcomes immediately relevant to organizations. This study contributes to literature examining the effects of mindfulness in organizational settings by considering the effects of an 8-week workplace mindfulness training program in a high-reliability organization (hospital) on individual error orientation, an individual’s propensity to learn from error, worry about error, or hide error. This study adds to the current state of knowledge by providing further insight into why one holds a particular error …

Understanding Workplace Incivility Experiences And The Moderating Role Of Mindfulness, Rima C. Tarraf

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Rude treatment at work can lead to many negative consequences, as evidenced by the wealth of research available. This dissertation, addressed two important questions that have yet to receive adequate attention. First, how does an employee experience incivility, and second, what is a practical and cost-effective way of mitigating the negative outcomes associated with incivility and promoting positive ones? Incivility research has mainly employed quantitative methods to understand incivility experiences. Using qualitative methods however, would complement the knowledge and potentially move the field of inquiry in new directions. As such, the goal of Study One was to obtain a narrative …

Attentional Preference After A Brief Mindfulness Meditation Intervention, Joshua John Hatherley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

It has been suggested that as a cognitive exercise, mindfulness meditation has the ability to significantly affect attention in its practitioners. This may help explain why mindfulness meditation has found success in clinical practices. This thesis sought to extend this line of research by investigating the influence of mindfulness meditation on attentional preference. In the context of this paper, attentional preference was seen to be the ability of the viewer to be biased to either detecting local components or the global whole. Study 1 investigated how a 10- minute breathing-oriented mindfulness intervention affects attentional preference on the Navon, Flanker and …

Therapeutic Induction Of Altered States Of Consciousness: Investigation Of 1-20hz Neurofeedback, Heather K. Hargraves

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Positive outcomes linked to experiences of altered states of consciousness (ASC) have been linked to various brain wave patterns, as well as both positive and negative personality traits and affective disorders. Various innovative neurofeedback (NFB) technologies are being developed in an attempt to create adjunctive therapeutic treatments. The current study investigated 1-20 Hz NFB to induce ASC and examine associations between NFB, ASC, mood changes, and trait predictors. 23 students completed trait measures of emotionality, openness and extroversion from the HEXACO test of personality and a measure of trait absorption. Participants then completed 15min of NFB. The Profile of Mood …

Mindfulness And Mothering: Reclaiming Feminine Voice, Lisa L. Mccorquodale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Little is known about working mothers who practice mindfulness. This dissertation is a phenomenological investigation using body mapping as a way to understand how mindfulness works in the lives of six women who work in health and social care while parenting young children.

This dissertation is comprised of five integrated articles. Chapter 1 and 7 are included as an Introduction and Discussion/Conclusion to the five separate though related manuscript chapters. The main research questions that framed this research include, ‘What is the work of mindfulness in the lives of working professional mothers?’ and ‘In what ways might a mindfulness practice …

The Effects Of Self-Care Meditation Behaviour On Undergraduate Students’ Reported Stress, Anna Smallwood

Undergraduate Honours Theses

The goal of this research study was to provide undergraduate post-secondary students with a self-care behaviour that: a) was self-help based; b) could become a routine part of their schedules; and c) was effective in lowering their stress responses. One group of participants was asked to rate their stress on a 7-point scale, twice a day, for 10 business days. A second group of participants was also asked to rate their stress following the same instructions however they were also asked to perform a 5-minute mindfulness-based meditation twice a day, immediately following the stress ratings. A 2 (Week 1 vs. …

Small Businesses Encounters With Information Technology, Liliana Lopez Jimenez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation advances the concept of IT encountering, defined as the process whereby individuals pay attention, interpret and respond to cues suggesting changes to IT, in ways that appear sensible to them, and it studies IT encountering in the context of small businesses.

I review the literatures on organizational IT adoption and IT selection, and conclude that these literatures have relied on assumptions which leave unattended important aspects of the process leading to choice: the adoption literature presupposes the saliency and significance of a focal technology to a decision maker, and the IT selection literature generally assumes that suitable IT …