Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Does Decentering Mediate The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Stress And Anxiety?, Hana Hannah Lee

Theses and Dissertations

College students are stressed and unsuccessful efforts to cope can increase risk for poor mental health, including anxiety (American College Health, 2019). Research suggests mindfulness (Bamber & Schneider, 2016) and adaptive emotion regulation (Desrosiers et al. 2013b) can buffer against the deleterious effects of distress. Decentering, a mindful emotion regulation strategy (Chambers et al., 2009), is postulated to be a mechanism by which mindfulness can lead to better mental health (Shapiro et al. 2006). Specific facets of trait mindfulness, namely Nonjudging (NJ) and Nonreactivity (NR) (Mizera et al. 2016), are directly involved in regulating one's emotions, which can help reduce …

Manipulating Mindful Breathing Versus Mindful Eating: Examining The Effect Of Specific Mindfulness Mechanisms On Food Intake And Eating Disorder Symptoms., Irina Alexandrovna Vanzhula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Understanding which specific mindfulness practices contribute to improvements in ED symptoms, as well as the mechanisms of action by which this change occurs, may help improve MBTs for EDs. The current study aims to compare the effects of various brief mindfulness exercises on state ED symptoms and food intake and to test whether a reduction in state rumination and state difficulties in emotion dysregulation and an increase in awareness of hunger, fullness, and satiety cues mediate these effects. Methods. Two hundred and two undergraduate females participated in the experiment. Participants were randomized to listen to one of the four …

Examining Treatment Acceptability Of An Eight-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Protocol, Blake William Palmer

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to examine whether levels of perceived stress, experiential avoidance, personality traits including openness to experience and agreeableness, and demographic variables will predict the treatment acceptability (indicated by responses on the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale) of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This study collected data in the Spring of 2019. The final number of participants in the study was 116 (40 females, 76 males, Mage = 36, age range: 22-69 years). Participants completed measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the agreeableness and openness to Experience domains …

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention (Bmbi) To Reduce Teacher Stress And Burnout, Stephen George Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are exposed to a variety of chronic stressors in their work environments that lead to stress, burnout, and the deterioration of physiological systems that promote adaptive responses to stress. The downstream effects of chronic stress and burnout incur substantial costs associated with attrition and stress-related health concerns. Research demonstrates that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have potential to improve teachers’ capacity to manage stress and mitigate its detrimental effects. However, many MBI studies to date have failed to incorporate key elements of methodological rigor and included large dosages despite research suggesting that such dosages are iatrogenic. Furthermore, these studies have not …

Five Facets Of Mindfulness In Pregnancy And Postpartum Periods, Brianna J. Mcneley

Global Honors Theses

Pregnancy, particularly the postpartum period is high risk for women with preexisting mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. This research investigates if self-reported use of overall mindfulness and individual facets of mindfulness (observe, describe, nonjudging, acting with awareness, and nonreacting), reduce common symptoms associated with these disorders. Pregnant or postpartum participants recruited from social media groups (18+) were asked to self-report symptoms of mania, depression, anxiety, and five facets of mindfulness. Overall mindfulness was significantly negatively correlated with mania, depression, and anxiety, and in particular with nonjudging and acting with awareness. But symptoms were positively correlated …

Distress Tolerance As A Potential Target For Change: The Relationship Between Distress Tolerance, Craving, And Alcohol Consumption In A Lab-Based Experiment, Isabel F. Augur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distress tolerance (DT) has recently been studied as a potential catalyst for the development ofalcohol use disorder (AUD). Research exploring the relationship between DT and craving is limited and has primarily focused on nicotine craving. Furthermore, there are no current studies examining the relationship between DT and alcohol consumption. This study was designed to fill this gap in the literature, which may shed light on a potentially important target for alcohol use treatment. Additionally, the role of mindfulness was explored in the context of the relationship between DT and alcohol craving and consumption, with the intention of expanding on the …

Exploring Attentional Biases, Dispositional Mindfulness, And The Suicide Stroop, Emma H. Moscardini

LSU Master's Theses

Extant research has found that attentional biases to suicide-related stimuli are relevant to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). As such, attentional biases are a core feature of both the Fluid Vulnerability Theory of Suicide and the cognitive model of suicide. Individuals with an STB history have demonstrated attentional biases to suicide-related stimuli on a suicide Stroop task, and this attentional bias has been found to aid in prediction of suicide attempts at six-month follow-up. Better understanding this attentional bias may be useful for informing mindfulness-based interventions which target attentional biases, as dispositional mindfulness has been found to be related to …

Exploring Mindfulness As An Illness Pathway Between Eating Disorder And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Emma G. Roberts, Brenna M. Williams, Cheri Levinson

Grawemeyer Colloquium Papers

Eating disorders (EDs) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have high rates of comorbidity. One shared protective factor for PTSD and ED symptoms is mindfulness. However, research on how mindfulness relates to ED-PTSD comorbidity is limited. Thus, the current study used network analysis to explore aspects of mindfulness as illness pathways bridging (i.e., connecting) symptoms among comorbid ED and PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that mindfulness would negatively relate to ED and PTSD symptoms.

Participants (N=709 undergraduate students) completed self-report ED, PTSD, and mindfulness measures. Network analysis was conducted using R.

Five symptoms were identified as being the most central. …

Effects Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention On Psychological Outcomes Including Self-Compassion, Mental Health, And Behavioral Outcomes In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Natalia Andrea Velásquez

Theses and Dissertations

The present study utilized a brief mindfulness-based intervention to examine the relationship between psychological/behavioral factors, such as mindfulness and self-compassion, in improving parental stress, psychological well-being, and behavioral outcomes in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Four parents of children with ASD engaged in a 3-session mindfulness-based intervention that included psychoeducation on mindfulness and self-compassion skills, experiential exercises, and implementation of mindfulness and self-compassion skills in parenting vignettes. Measurements included the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Parental Stress Index-4 Short Form (PSI-4 SF), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and behavioral mindfulness …

Adherence To A Mindfulness App For College Students With Depression: Patterns, Predictors, And Outcomes, Brynn Marie Huguenel

Dissertations

National trends indicate that mental health concerns, particularly rates of depression, continue to rise on college campuses; however, treatment utilization remains low. Technology-based mental health interventions, such as mental health apps (MHapps), are a promising means of overcoming treatment barriers. MHapps are effective in improving psychological outcomes, but low rates of adherence are a noted limitation. The current study explored patterns of adherence to a MHapp, investigated the bidirectional relation between adherence and depression, and identified motivational predictors of adherence rates. Undergraduate students (N= 66) reporting clinically-elevated depressive symptoms completed a three-month trial using Headspace, a mindfulness MHapp. Patterns of …

Mindfulness Of What? Impact Of Awareness- And Acceptance-Focused Mindful Eating Techniques On Eating Outcomes, Jennifer Battles

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Introduction: Significant debate exists over the conceptualization of mindfulness even though mindfulness-based interventions are widely utilized to treat obesity and problematic eating behaviors. Little research has directly compared these theorized components of mindfulness in the context of eating. The purpose of the current study was to understand the relative importance of two components of mindfulness (i.e., awareness and acceptance) on laboratory eating outcomes. Methods: An experiment was conducted with 103 obese participants (M_age = 22.38, SD = 6.82; 64.1% female, 44.6% White, M_BMI = 35.42, SD = 7.68) comparing two mindful eating inductions (i.e., awareness only and …

Mindfulness Increases Help-Seeking By Buffering Against Self-Stigma, Sami Boomgarden

Masters Theses

Mindfulness has many psychological benefits, including less stress, improved sleep, increased resiliency, and reduced psychological distress, making it a focus of mental health research (Dvorakova et al., 2017; Mzarek, Franklin, Phillips, Baird, & Schooler, 2013; Vidico & Cherup, 2019). Mindfulness may also limit the formation of self-stigma, which comes from internalized stereotypes about oneself (Barr, Davis, Diguiseppi, Keeling, & Castro, 2019). When people experience self-stigma, they are less likely to seek help when they might need it, exacerbating current problems (Wilson, Bushnell, & Caputi, 2011). The present study explored the relationship between these three constructs of mindfulness, self-stigma, and help-seeking. …

Effects Of Mindful Attentional Regulation On Illicit Opioid Use For Individuals Participating In Medication Assisted Treatment: A Pilot Study, Stephen Sooter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIllicit opioid use takes thousands of Americans’ lives each year, reduces the quality of life for affected individuals, and results in sizable socioeconomic costs. Existing research has supported medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for this condition; however, MAT participants often continue to experience opioid craving and using behaviors. Mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) uses mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce likelihood of substance use relapse. This study used a combination of physical dependence theory, positive incentive theory, and classical conditioning theory to evaluate the impact of MBRP on illicit opioid use and cravings in a quantitative randomized, controlled experimental design. …