Abstract
Objectives
We explored whether baseline individual differences in mindfulness related to changes in mindfulness and emotional outcomes, following a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI).
Method
Self-reported and behavioral mindfulness, as measured with a breath counting tool, and self-reported emotional outcomes were assessed in fifty community participants, previous to being randomly allocated to a group MBI (or to a waiting list control condition). At post-intervention, participants initially allocated in the control condition started group MBI training and a 3-month follow-up was available for the full sample.
Results
MBI increased self-reported and behavioral mindfulness both from pre- to post-intervention (p < .001, d ranging from 1.16 to 2.11) and from pre-intervention to follow-up (p < .001, d ranging from 0.97 to − 1.87), as well as reduced distress and perseverative thinking, and increased well-being (p < .001, d ranging from 2.16 to 2.22 and from 2.12 to 2.43, from pre- to post-intervention and to follow-up, respectively). Lower baseline mindfulness was associated with higher increase in mindfulness indexes following MBI (p < .001), while baseline mindfulness measures did not predict emotional outcomes neither at post-intervention nor at follow-up. Higher baseline psychological distress and perseverative thinking and lower psychological well-being were related, respectively, to greater reductions in emotional symptoms and a higher increase in well-being.
Conclusions
Although participants with lower baseline mindfulness showed greater increase in mindfulness than their higher counterparts, the more the emotional symptoms and the lower the well-being at pre-intervention, the more benefit could be gained from an MBI irrespective of baseline mindfulness.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Levinson and the Davidson Lab for providing us with the script for programming the breath counting tool.
Funding
Miquel Tortella-Feliu has received research grants from Framework Programme 7 of the European Union (Collaborative Project 613598) and from the Spanish Government - Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Health Research Project PI16/00144), Ausiàs Cebolla reported that this work was supported by CIBEROBN, an initiative of the ISCIII (ISC III CB06 03/0052), and Joaquim Soler has received research funding from Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities). José Luís-Reig and Juan Gea have not received research funding.
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MT-F designed the study, oversaw data collection and analyses, conducted data analyses, and wrote the paper. J L-R was responsible of planning the intervention and participant recruitment, conducted the assessments and the intervention, collected data, and contributed to data analyses and to the writing of the article. JG programmed the breath counting tool with the script provided by Dr. Levinson and the Davidson Lab. AC and JS contributed to the selection of self-reported assessment instruments and to the writing of the paper, and provided expert advice throughout the research process.
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All research procedures, including the way to provide information to enable informed consent and the specific contents of the document to obtain the written informed consent from participants to participate in the study, received approval from the Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Balearic Islands.
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The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.
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Tortella-Feliu, M., Luís-Reig, J., Gea, J. et al. An Exploratory Study on the Relations Between Mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Intervention Outcomes. Mindfulness 11, 2561–2572 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01471-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01471-x