Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Mindfulness Meditation On Mu-Rhythm Suppression And Pain Empathy, Michael Settepani

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: The current study investigated the effects of a 15-minute mindfulness meditation on mu suppression during a pain empathy task to determine if mindfulness meditation can impact empathy and its neural correlates. The current study also included a behavioral portion to investigate the effect of mindfulness meditation on self-report empathy for pain.

Method: In the EEG portion of the study, 50 Participants were enrolled in the EEG portion of this task, and 31 for the behavioral portion. Both groups were randomly assigned to listen to a 15-minute mindfulness meditation, or a control recording. Both groups completed a pain empathy …

Mindfulness, Psychological Distress, And Somatic Symptoms Among Women Engaged In Sex Work In China, Cheuk Chi Tam, Yuejiao Zhou, Shan Qiao, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Zhiyong Shen

Faculty Publications

Women engaged in sex work (WSW) in China encounter numerous disadvantages (e.g., exposure to violence) and have substantial risk for psychological distress and somatic symptoms. Intervention literature has attended to mindfulness, which is a protective factor for psychological outcomes, and its influences can further improve physical health. However, mindfulness has not been well studied in WSW. We aimed to examine the association among mindfulness, psychological distress, and somatic symptoms among Chinese WSW. Data were collected from 410 WSW in Guangxi, China, using an anonymous, self-administered survey evaluating demographics, mindfulness, psychological distress (i.e., depression, loneliness, and perceived stress), and somatic symptoms …

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 …

Mindfulness, Culture, And Clinical Practice: Clinician Experiences Utilizing Mindfulness And Acceptance With Hispanics/Latinos, Rebeca Castellanos

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that culturally adapted interventions are superior to unadapted interventions when used with diverse ethnic groups (Hall et al., 2016). There also exists a growing interest psychological interventions that utilize in mindfulness and psychological acceptance (Masuda, 2014). Moreover, there is a significant need to address health inequities among Hispanics/Latinos given that they comprise the fastest growing ethnically diverse population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). A recent comprehensive review of the literature on cultural adaptations of MBIs for Hispanics/Latinos indicated several critical gaps in the study of culturally adapted MBIs which included a need to systematically assess …

Managing Negative Countertransference Utilizing An Integrated Counselor Mindfulness Training For Counselors Working With Children Exhibiting Externalized Behaviors, Jessie D. Guest

Theses and Dissertations

Using a multiple-probe, single case research design, this study investigated the effects of an integrated mindfulness intervention on counselors’ negative countertransference while working with children exhibiting externalized behaviors in session. More specifically, this study utilized a two-pronged intervention including mindfulness practices as well as the theoretical tenets of relating to children to assist counselors in managing negative countertransference as measured by the Countertransference Management Scale (Perez- Rojas, et al., 2017), reducing negative countertransference feelings as measured by Therapist Appraisal Questionnaire (Cooley & Klingler, 1989; Fauth et al., 1999), and improving the child’s perception of the counselor as measured by Young …

Measuring The Effects Of A Mindfulness Intervention On Counselors’-In-Training Dispositions, Strength Of The Therapeutic Relationship, And Client Outcomes, Therese Louise Newton

Theses and Dissertations

Using a multiple baseline single case research design, the present study sought to measure the effects of a mindfulness intervention on counselors’-in-training facilitative dispositions of: (a) empathetic understanding, (b) level of regard, (c) unconditionality of regard, and (d) congruence (as observed through weekly in-session engagement with clients), and client outcomes (as measured by the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II; [Robitschek et al., 2012] and the Outcomes Questionnaire-45.2; [Lambert et al., 1996]). In addition, the investigation examined the influence of counselors-in-training participation in a brief mindfulness intervention on clients’ perception of the strength of the therapeutic alliance (as measured by the Barrett-Lennard …

Mindfulness And Dance: The Effect Of Yoga Practices In College-Aged Dancers, Alison Saum

Senior Theses

Mindfulness is the self-regulation of attention toward conscious awareness of bodily sensations and perceptions (Howell & Marich, 2015). As opposed to other forms of attention training, mindfulness focuses on a non-judgmental monitoring of stimuli and experiences which adopts a curious, open, and accepting attitude (Creswell, Denson, & Schofield, 2015). Mindfulness practitioners develop an ongoing awareness of changes in their internal experiences of sensations, thoughts, and feelings, as well as awareness of external experiences (Daubenmier, Dunn, Farb, Gard, Kerr, Klein, Mehling, Paulus, & Price, 2015). Traditionally, mindfulness involves quietly sitting and observing various experiences without judging or attempting to change the …

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Verbal Distress Disclosure, Sara Fleming

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a mindfulness induction on participants’ verbal distress disclosure (as measured by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count and State Disclosure Questionnaire). Participants were 86 undergraduate students enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology course and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a mindfulness condition or a control condition. Participants in the mindfulness condition engaged in a 15-minute mindfulness induction prior to disclosing about a stressful experience, while participants in the control condition listened to a neutrally valenced audio excerpt from a podcast about emotions before speaking about a …

Does Self-Compassion Protect Against Emotional Dysregulation, Anxiety, And Other Negative Emotions?, Elizabeth Willits

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Self-compassion is a multifaceted construct meant to allow individuals to treat themselves with kindness, have a balanced perspective on their experiences, and feel connected to others (Neff, 2003a). Emotion regulation is related to higher levels of self-compassion (Diedrich et al., 2013; Vettese et al., 2011), and Neff (2003a) proposes that self-compassion can be viewed as a superior emotion regulation strategy. Self-compassion is negatively correlated with many forms of psychopathology, including anxiety (Neff, 2003b; Neff et al., 2007; Neff & McGehee, 2010). Based on prior research, it appears that self-compassion may increase the ability to regulation emotions, therefore increasing an individual’s …

Mindfulness And Cognitive Aging, Elise J. Herndon

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness meditation involves the cultivation of a focused, pre-conceptual consciousness that enables increased present-centered awareness of internal states, cognitive processes, and external stimuli (Mikulas, 2011; Kornfield, 2010). Studies suggest that mindfulness practice affects the brain structures and cognitive processes related to fluid intelligence, and may affect fluid intelligence itself among highly experienced practitioners (e.g., Gard, Taquet, et al., 2014; Lazar et al., 2005; Ritskes et al., 2003). Fluid intelligence includes higher-order reasoning and problem-solving abilities that are independent of cultural and environmental influences. These abilities peak in young adulthood, then begin to decay (Cattell, 1987; Goldberg, 2005).

The current study …

Interactions With Horses Is Associated With Higher Mindfulness And Heart Rate Variability And Lower Electrodermal Response In College Students, Sarah Mary Wach

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

A wealth of research has revealed psychological and physiological benefits of interactions with animals. As yet, research is limited to smaller animals such as dogs and cats and has not examined the benefits of human-horse interactions. The present study examined the effects of video-simulated human-horse interactions compared with simulated interactions with a car and a person on state mindfulness and physiological arousal. The relationship between trait mindfulness and horse experience was also examined. Undergraduate students with (n = 16) and without experience with horses (n = 26) were recruited with the exclusion criteria of a fear of horses. …

The Impact Of Mindfulness On Emotion Dysregulation And Psychophysiological Reactivity Under Emotional Provocation, Tanya S. Watford

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

The present study employed physiological measures and a working memory task in addition to self-report measures to seek a better understanding of the relationship between brief mindfulness training and the experience and regulation of emotion. Seventy undergraduate students at a small southern state university completed baseline measures of trait mindfulness and emotion regulation before experiencing a 15-minute recording (mindfulness or control), and then completing a state mindfulness measure. Participants then experienced an emotion induction (positive or negative), before completing state emotion dysregulation and affect measures, and then completing a working memory task, finishing with the state mindfulness measure again. Physiological …

The Effects Of Mindfulness And Distress Disclosure On Emotional Expression, Kelsey E. Eitel

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a mindfulness exercise on participants’ distress disclosure (as measured by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count). I employed a trauma written disclosure paradigm as an analogue to a therapy session in regard to disclosure. It was predicted that participants who were asked to engage in a 15-minute mindfulness exercise prior to writing about a personally traumatic event would use more emotion and cognitive processing words in their writing samples (i.e., increased distress disclosure), as compared to the participants who simply listened to a neutrally valenced audio clip. Participants were …