Psychology Commons^™

Think About It: Using Mindfulness As A Means To Treat Eating Disorders, Gabriella C. Breen

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Eating disorders are complicated and prevalent issues among the general population; it is estimated that 30 million people are affected in the United States alone (Foundation for Research and Education in Eating Disorders, 2018). Because of the complex psychological nature of eating disorders, it is difficult to find a treatment that is broadly effective. Traditional therapies include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. In recent years, mindfulness has emerged as a potentially effective way to treat eating disorders due to its ability to reduce maladaptive coping strategies, improve emotional regulation, and treat anorexia nervosa (Cowdrey …

Mindfulness In The Sport Academy Classroom: Exploring Benefits And Barriers Of A Low-Dose Intervention, Andrew Augustus, Sam Zizzi

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a low-dose mindfulness program with student–athletes (SA) at a
sport academy in the USA. First, SAs were introduced to mindfulness in their health class with conceptual lessons and guided
meditations from the Headspace ‘Guide to Meditation’ series. Following each episode, SAs reflected on their experience
via guided prompts led by their teacher. The second phase shifted towards applying mindfulness within their sport through
app-based guided meditations and sport-based reflections led by teachers in their mental skills classes. Student–athlete
perceptions of these experiences were captured through the reflection exercises and a post-program evaluation …

Mitigating Weight Stigma In The Medical System: Self-Compassion For Nursing Students, Ellen C. Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weight stigma is a form of oppression that has been shown to have a detrimental impact on the well-being of people with higher weight. Healthcare providers are one of the most common sources of weight stigma, and their stigmatizing beliefs have been found to be associated with differential care for patients with “obesity”. The current study aimed to explore the feasibility of the loving-kindness meditation (LKM) as a brief intervention that reduces weight bias in nursing students by increasing self-compassion, positive, other-focused emotions, and cognitive flexibility, in order to improve compassionate care for patients with higher weight. Participants (189 nursing …

The Impacts Of Learning 2 Breathe On Rumination, Adessa Flack

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The present study examined the impact of Learning2Breathe (L2B), a mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed for use with adolescents on rumination. The program was applied to rumination in college-age men and women. Our experiment utilized a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students that were placed in either the experimental or control group. Data was collected pretest and posttest through a variety of measures including the Rumination Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) which consisted of a rumination and reflection subscale, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). A two-way mixed ANOVA design was used to analyze data. There was no …

Mindfulness: A Personal Resource In Organizational Change, Mona Farid-Nejad

CGU Theses & Dissertations

As the world of work becomes increasingly uncertain, organizations and their employees must adapt and change to survive and remain solvent in light of market and social changes. Most organizational-level change management approaches, however, fail to consider the repercussions of change on employees and often do not consider the psychological resources employees need to weather the storms of change. Guided by previous research concerning the benefits of mindfulness, the current dissertation seeks to understand the benefits of trait mindfulness as a personal resource for employee well-being, motivation, and retention during organizational change. In the initial pilot study, organizational change vignettes …

The Role Of Mindfulness And Compassion In Parochial Empathy And Prosocial Behavior Toward Out-Groups, Denise Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

As opposed to the tendency to empathize with and help one’s in-group members, there are often barriers to responding altruistically toward out-group members. Little is known about people’s capacity to cultivate intergroup prosocial responses through contemplative practices. This experiment examined the role of mindfulness instruction in parochial empathy and prosocial behavior toward an out-group, relative to compassion and relaxation instruction. A national sample of U.S. residents (N = 450) was recruited online through the on-line Prolific platform. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three brief, structurally equivalent instruction conditions: mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation. …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness And Impact Of The Provision Of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence And Work Readiness Modules To Irish Third Level Students, Wyndham Chalmers

Other Resources

Recently, there has been an emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL) in educational settings and the role this may play in an individuals’ later life outcomes as well as their ability to manage stress and express and manage emotion in adaptive ways (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), 2020). Recent research also supports a positive correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and the development of interpersonal skills, academic attainment, memory and problem-solving skills (Boyatzis & Saatcioglu, 2008). Further research emphasises the role of emotional competencies in sustaining employment and placement in higher education (Carthy et al., 2013; Murphy, 2015). As …

The Experience Of Meditation And Healing In Practitioners Of The Wim Hof Method, Chad David Mckinney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The practice of meditation for the purpose of increasing mental clarity, health, and healing has grown steadily over the past 50 years or more. While meta-analyses and literature reviews of hundreds of studies have shown that individuals who meditate improve neuro-biopsychosocial functions and recover from illness, few studies have examined these benefits within specific systems of practice. This qualitative study explored the experience of meditation and healing in adults who have trained in the Wim Hof Method (WHM). Transpersonal psychology and placebo theory served as the conceptual framework of this research. Narrative analysis was used to guide data collection and …

Mindfulness, Race-Related Stress, And Relationship Satisfaction Among African American/Black Couples, Leshai Hunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicated positive correlations between relationship satisfaction and mindfulness among White couples. However, researchers had not examined the relationship between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction among African Americans/Blacks who had experienced race-related stress. Race-related stress affects African Americans/Blacks in their daily lives and relationships. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, race-related stress, and relationship satisfaction among African Americans/Blacks. Mindfulness relationship theory and Africana womanism were used to guide the study. Survey data were collected from 51 African Americans/Black participants. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that mindfulness was a statistically significant predictor of …

Mindfulness And Pain Regulation: The Role Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Individuals With Chronic Pain, Ariana C. White

Honors Theses and Capstones

Chronic pain is a significant and widely prevalent health condition which requires comprehensive care to address the many facets contributing to symptomatology. In 2016, 20% of American adults (about 50 million) reported experiencing chronic pain, of which 7.4% indicated that chronic pain frequently limited their life and participation in activities within the past 3 months (CDC, 2018). As a result, many individuals with chronic pain turn to opioid-based medication for pain relief, but long-term use of opioids actually increases pain sensation (Tobin, 2019). Moreover, opioid medication is unable to target underlying mental health components which emerge as part of chronic …

Systematic Review Regarding The Use Of Mindfulness-Based Mobile Applications To Reduce Psychological Symptoms And Enhance Well-Being Among General And Clinical Population Adults: Benefits, Limitations And Future Directions, Brian Clawson

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness is now utilized throughout Western Society and is part of the growing behavioral health, self-help, and wellness movements. Mobile applications have become increasingly popular for a wide variety of uses related to physical health, mental health, and self-improvement. Therefore, mindfulness-based mobile applications have promise both as stand-alone tools for end-users seeking self-help resources and as clinician-recommended adjunctive tools to enhance the process and outcomes of professional therapy. This systematic review identified, reviewed, and synthesized the findings from studies (n = 29) concerning the impact of mindfulness-based mobile applications on specific aspects of psychological functioning in both the general population …

Integrative Meaning, Mindfulness, And Traumatic Grief Among Bereaved Adults, Brandy Tidwell

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Traumatic Grief (TG) entails clinically significant expressions of grief and posttraumatic stress following bereavement. TG experiences are more likely following violent, sudden, or accidental losses, which has been largely explained by integrative meaning-making processes. In this study, I aimed to explore relationships between integrative meaning, mindfulness, and TG among a sample of adults (N = 237) bereaved by various circumstances. First, I sought to contribute to findings regarding the negative association between integrative meaning and TG experiences by investigating whether this relationship persists among individuals bereaved by varied circumstances. Second, I sought to explore the role of mindfulness in …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Self-Compassion Training With Disability Support Staff, Jessica M. Venegoni

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of self-compassion training with disability support staff concurrently completing their college education for career advancement. The intervention was guided by a combined Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Self-Compassion training framework. The ACT Matrix was utilized within the study prior to intervention to determine values within self-compassion and to identify three behaviors to target within the weekly self-compassion training, and daily behavior report (Polk and Schoendorf, 2014). During the intervention phase, daily reported self-compassion behaviors and weekly reported self-compassion scores were collected (Neff, 2003a; Belisle et al., 2022), as well as their …

Dystonia Patients' Use Of Mindfulness To Address Pain, Diana Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of 10 women who used mindfulness to alleviate their chronic pain associated with cervical dystonia (CD). Individuals who suffer from CD face challenges related to symptom management and the psychological effects from experiencing chronic pain. Since treatments for CD are limited and pharmacological options to treat chronic pain, like opioids, can lead to addictions, individuals with CD may seek non-pharmacological treatment options. Women, 18-60 years of age were interviewed using a semi-structured interview process. Bandura’s self-regulation theory provided a framework for this study. Results from this study found that …

Mindfulness, Race-Related Stress, And Relationship Satisfaction Among African American/Black Couples, Leshai Hunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicated positive correlations between relationship satisfaction and mindfulness among White couples. However, researchers had not examined the relationship between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction among African Americans/Blacks who had experienced race-related stress. Race-related stress affects African Americans/Blacks in their daily lives and relationships. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, race-related stress, and relationship satisfaction among African Americans/Blacks. Mindfulness relationship theory and Africana womanism were used to guide the study. Survey data were collected from 51 African Americans/Black participants. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that mindfulness was a statistically significant predictor of …

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Mindfulness On Pain: The Role Of Pain Catastrophizing, Ilana Haliwa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic pain is a complex global public health concern associated with a host of negative outcomes, including loss of productivity, decreased quality of life, and greater likelihood of developing a mental health disorder. Initial evidence indicates that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve pain symptomatology. However, most MBIs are time and resource intensive, and it is unclear how mindfulness may improve the pain experience. The purpose of the present set of studies was to test the effects of a brief, app-based MBI on pain experience, and to examine whether pain catastrophizing was a statistical mediator of any effect. Two studies were conducted …

Mindfulness To Manage Moral Injury: Rationale And Development Of A Live Online 7-Week Group Intervention For Veterans With Moral Injury, Michelle L. Kelley, Megan Strowger, Victoria O. Chentsova, Adrian J. Bravo, Susan A. Gaylord, Elizabeth E. Burgin, Christine Vinci, Kenneth L. Ayers, Erum Agha

Psychology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Military service puts service members at risk for moral injury. Moral injury is an array of symptoms (e.g., guilt, shame, anger) that develop from events that violate or transgress one's moral code.

OBJECTIVE: We describe adaption of in-person mindfulness training program, Mindfulness to Manage Chronic Pain (MMCP), to address symptoms of moral injury to be delivered live via the web. We discuss how we will assess benchmarks (i.e., recruitment, credibility and acceptability, completion rates, and adherence) of the Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury (MMMI) program.

METHODS: Aim 1: To develop and then adapt the MMCP program based on …

Experiential-Based Feedback During Alcohol Intoxication And Its Effect On Drinkers’ Risk Awareness, Alexandra R. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving injuries and fatalities has not decreased for over a decade despite strategies to reduce and prevent driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). In 2019, 10,142 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the United States, which totaled to 28% of all traffic fatalities for the year. DUI interventions have been found to have moderate effects on reducing DUI recidivism. Prevention research has identified a lack of risk awareness in DUI offenders and this could be a target to motivate behavioral change. However, the training to increase levels of risk awareness needs to occur in …

Positive Affect Facilitates Reduction In Depression Symptoms During A Mobile Mindfulness-Based Intervention, Andrew Rauch

Master's Theses

Depression negatively impacts the lives of many, and the rates are continuing to rapidly increase. Identifying patterns of modifiable affective psychological mechanisms that contribute to reducing depression symptoms is critical to improve the effectiveness of wellbeing interventions for individuals with depressive disorders. Depression has been characterized by valanced patterns of low positive affect and high negative affect, yet the extent to which these relative patterns of affectivity change in response to intervention remains less clear. The present study evaluated affective patterns in college students (n = 127) with elevated depression symptoms who participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of …

Mindfulness Training To Enhance Emotion Regulation In A Polarizing Political Context: A Multimethod Investigation, Hadley Rahrig

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. continues to show an upward trend in political polarization, perceived as a moral divide between liberal and conservative ideological groups. This moralization of political identity has contributed to the escalation of negative emotions (e.g., fear, anger, and hatred) directed towards political outgroup members. Although negative emotions are potent motivators of political intolerance, these emotions are nevertheless subject to regulation. Mindfulness offers a promising yet understudied emotion regulation strategy which may facilitate open receptivity towards opposing partisans. The present randomized controlled trial (RCT) examines the effects of short-term mindfulness training (MT) vs structurally equivalent Cognitive Reappraisal training (CT) on …

Reply To Komatsu Et Al.: From Local Social Mindfulness To Global Sustainability Efforts?, N. J. Van Doesum, R. O. Murphy, M. Gallucci, E. Aharonov-Majar, U. Athenstaedt, W. T. Au, L. Bai, R. Böhm, I. Bovina, N. R. Buchan, X. P. Chen, K. B. Dumont, J. B. Engelmann, K. Eriksson, Li, Norman P., S. Fiedler, J. Friesen, S. Gächter, C. Garcia, R. González

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Komatsu et al. (1) argue that Van Doesum et al. (2) may have overlooked the role of GDP in reporting a positive association between social mindfulness (SoMi) and the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) at country level. Although the relationship between EPI and SoMi is relatively weaker for countries with higher GDP, that does not imply that the overall observed relationship is a statistical artifact. Rather, it implies that GDP may be a moderator of the relationship between EPI and SoMi. The observed correlation is a valid result on average across countries, and the actual effect size would, at least to …

Mindfulness And The Relationship Between Connectedness To Nature And Affect, Mathew Stewart

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Exposure to in-vivo and virtual nature has been shown to increase a person’s positive affect from a variety of mechanisms. Natural settings and green-spaces allow for the recovery of attentional resources whereas urban environments elicit opposite effects. Individuals who practice mindfulness in general exhibit greater attentional resources and potentially could see added benefit to their well-being through exposure to natural environments. This research investigated whether those who are more mindful receive greater benefits from exposure to virtual restorative natural environments compared to individuals who do not practice or engage with mindfulness regularly. Subjects viewed an urban, urban/nature, or nature representative …

From Me To We: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Group Beingness, Stacey K. Guenther

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

To be human is to be a member of myriad groups. The universality of groups in our lives poses an important area of study for social scientists investigating human flourishing. Additionally, inquiring into the evolutionary potential of groups may begin to inform new ways of addressing the intractable issues we face as a human species. While most empirical studies of groups focus on group performance, or group doingness, this study explored group beingness and the experience of manifesting deep union and oneness, which is an intersubjective phenomenon that has been called coherence. Intersubjective coherence is often written about from a …

Impact Of Inducing Self-Compassion On The Use Of Safety Behaviours In Social Situations, Kamila Szczyglowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Safety behaviours are commonly used in an attempt to decrease anxiety experienced in social settings. These behaviours, however, have been found to maintain anxiety. Self-compassion has shown promise for reducing anxiety and post-event rumination. The aim of the present studies was to examine the impact of a self-compassion induction on safety behaviours. It was hypothesized that inducing self-compassion would lead to lower safety behaviour use compared to control conditions. For the first two studies, participants were randomly assigned to complete self-compassion inductions or control writing prompts in relation to imagining a pre-determined social situation. Study 3 followed a similar procedure …

The Effect Of School-Based Mindfulness Intervention On Student Attention And Executive Function: A Meta-Analysis, Sarah E. Rea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools are facing increasing responsibility to foster the social-emotional development of students. One way in which schools can improve student functioning is through school-based mindfulness interventions. Using mindfulness practices, in particular, can teach students to increase their attention of surroundings and internal experiences, and awareness of their thoughts and behaviors. While the evidence-base for mindfulness interventions in schools continues to grow, there are several studies that show promising outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine how large the effect sizes for school-based mindfulness studies are in regard to increasing student attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Results indicate …

A Consideration Of Transpersonal Research Methods For Studying Yoga And Mindfulness In Schools, Bethany Butzer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Over the past decade, interest in yoga and mindfulness in schools has grown tremendously, with preliminary research suggesting that these interventions may have a variety of positive effects on youth. However, some quantitative studies of school-based yoga and mindfulness have reported null and/or counterintuitive effects, such as increases in perceived stress, negative affect and psychological symptoms. In addition, some mixed-methods studies that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches have found inconsistent results, with the quantitative outcomes failing to show statistical significance, while students report benefits of yoga and mindfulness in qualitative interviews/focus groups. These inconsistent findings suggest that the field of …

The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Social Anxiety Traits, And Emotions, Maria Jackeline Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between mindfulness, social anxiety traits, and emotion processing is the first study of its kind to be looked over. In this study we will assess similarities and differences, plus how they work together to provide further research and understanding of these complexities when combined. Such research can be helpful in making us understand our emotions, as well as how our emotions can be perceived in social functioning and communication.

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 …

Breath Counting As A Measure Of Sustained Attention In Mindfulness Meditation And Its Effect On Mood, John Clapper, Stephen Ware, Fitria Jong Martinez, Kevin Benitez, Hideya Koshino

Psychology Faculty Publications

A great deal of research is currently being carried out on mindfulness meditation, but most of this research suffers from obvious problems and shortcomings. Particularly lacking are objective, observable measures of mindfulness performance that would make it possible to track long-term improvement while at the same time assuring experimental control during individual sessions. One promising method is the so-called breath counting task (BCT) devised by Levinson et al. (2014), which pairs a button-pressing response with each breath during a meditation-like cognitive task. This study involves two experiments investigating the effects of individual-difference variables such as depression, anxiety, personality (Big 5), …

Doing More With Less: A Quantitative Analysis Of Mindfulness, Meditation, Sustainable Consumption Awareness And Practice Among University Undergraduates, Teresa Van Horn

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Climate change, overconsumption, air, and water pollution continue to be pressing issues for society. Given the significant impact of overconsumption, the search for strategies to promote more sustainable behavior has become a topic for investigation. Universities are uniquely positioned to help students work toward sustainable solutions. This research explored the role of mindfulness in university students' sustainable consumption awareness and practice as there are gaps in the literature concerning definitions, constructs, and research regarding mindfulness and sustainable consumption.

To address these disparities, this research used stepwise regression analysis to investigate the extent to which mindfulness and select demographic measures …