Cognitive Defusion as Strategy to Reduce the Intensity of Craving Episodes and Improve Eating Behavior

The elaborated intrusion theory of desire proposes that craving is a cognitive motivational process involving intrusive thoughts. Changing the way we react to them, cognitive defusion (CD), should limit thought elaboration and craving. We induced chocolate craving in female chocolate cravers before CD (Study 1). A decrease in craving measured by a single-item scale, Visual Analogical Scale (VAS; p < .001, ηp2 = .449) and as a state, State Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-S; p = .029, ηp2 = .106) were found in the experimental group, while similar results were also found in group control. The reduction in craving (VAS) in group CD correlated negatively with chocolate consumption on a bogus taste test (r = –.439, p = .036), while the correlation was positive in the case of group control (r = .429, p = .047). Food craving as a trait, measured by the Trait Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-T), showed negative correlations with measures of CD and mindfulness skills (lowest r = –.313, p = .018). In Study 2 participants made use of a smartphone application implementing the CD procedure in real contexts whenever they experienced food craving. A corresponding decline in self-reported craving was found, as well as in consumption of the craved food (indulgence) compared with the control condition. Our findings indicate that CD may be a promising intervention for tackling the elaboration of intrusive thoughts and eating behavior in young female food cravers, both in a controlled laboratory environment after a cue-food exposure craving induction procedure, as well as responding to naturally occurring food cravings in real-life settings.

Feasibility, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms of a Brief Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Program to Reduce Stress in University Students: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

The mental health of university students is a public health concern, as psychopathology has significantly risen among this population. Mindfulness-based programs may support their mental health, though more research is needed. We used a two-armed pilot randomized controlled trial to study the feasibility, preliminary effectiveness, and potential mechanisms of a brief 6-week instructor-led mindfulness- and compassion-based program (MCBP for University Life) on perceived stress and psychological distress. Thirty undergraduate psychology students participated (15 in the intervention group, and 15 as wait-list controls). Those in the intervention arm engaged well with the course and formal at-home practice, attending at least five sessions and meditating between 4–6 days per week. Significant improvements in perceived stress, psychological distress, mindfulness skills, decentering, self-compassion, and experiential avoidance were found at the end of the intervention, while the wait-list group remained unchanged. There were significant differences between the two groups in those variables at post-test, favoring the intervention arm with major effects. Reductions in stress were mediated by improvements in mindfulness skills, decentering, and self-compassion; meanwhile reductions in psychological distress were mediated by improvements in decentering. These results suggest that this intervention might be feasible and effective for university students, but more high-quality research is needed.

Preliminary Efficacy of an mHealth Mindfulness Intervention With Caregivers of Older Adults With MCI or Dementia

Decades of research have documented the negative effects of caregiving on unpaid caregivers. Caregivers are more likely to suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety, and caregivers of older adults with dementia are at especially high risk. Mindfulness Therapy (MT) is a promising, non-pharmacological technique with proven efficacy and effectiveness in managing stress and anxiety in diverse populations. Mindfulness Coach is an m-health delivered mindfulness therapy intervention developed by the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. The objective of this paper is to report the preliminary efficacy of an 8-week pilot trial of mHealth-delivered mindfulness therapy to alleviate anxiety and caregiver stress in caregivers of persons with dementia. Sixty caregivers of patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia were recruited to participate in this single group pre-post design study. After receiving an orientation to using the app, participants were instructed to use the app daily to learn about and practice mindfulness skills. At the end of the 8 weeks, there was a significant reduction between baseline anxiety on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Anxiety subscale (mean = 14.45, SD = 3.36) 15.42, SD = 3.12) and 8 weeks (mean = (t(55)=2.6, p=.012) and perceived stress measured by the perceived stress scale at baseline (mean = 23.59, SD = 3.99) and 8 weeks (mean = 21.12, SD = 3.09), (t(56)=5.94, p&lt;.001). This study offers preliminary evidence that mHealth Mindfulness Therapy strategies may help caregivers manage the stress and anxiety associated with caregiving.

Mindfulness Integrated Cognitive Behavioural Intervention: Effects on Palliative Cancer Care Professionals

ObjectiveBeing a palliative cancer care professional is challenging and stressful. In recent decades, there has been more interest in mindfulness to improve overall well-being of healthcare professionals. Mindfulness integrated cognitive behavioural interventions (MICBI) are more practical, flexible and understandable than traditional psychological therapies alone. There is a dearth of studies in India with no psychological intervention in palliative cancer care professionals to date. The aim was to examine the effects of MICBI for professional care workers at palliative cancer care centres in Bengaluru city of Southern India.MethodsA single group study design was adopted with pre, post and 3-month follow-up assessment with a sample of 25 participants working full-time at a hospice. The MICBI programme was for six sessions, once a week for 2–2.5 hours. Outcome variables were professional quality of life measures (burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction), psychological well-being score and mindfulness skills score (assessed using Professional Quality of Life Scale-V.5, Psychological Well-Being Scale and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire). Wilcoxon signed rank test and Friedman test analysed differences between pre, post and follow-up data.ResultsThe MICBI could significantly reduce burnout and secondary traumatic stress; it improved compassion satisfaction, psychological well-being and mindfulness skills; treatment gains were maintained at 3 months follow-up.ConclusionsMICBI was feasible and effective for palliative cancer care professionals with implications for training, practice and future research.PROSPERO registration numberThe study was registered under the Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI) (number: CTRI/2018/03/019170).

A relação entre o criticismo do treinador e a ansiedade dos atletas: O papel do mindfulness e do autojulgamento

Background and Aim: The sample included 184 adolescent athletes (150 boys and 34 girls), aged between 12 and 18 years old, who completed a protocol of self-report instruments assessing sports anxiety (SAS-2), the perception of coach’s critical attitudes (APoCCAS), mindfulness (CAMM) and self-compassion (SCS). Method: The sample included 184 adolescent athletes (150 boys and 34 girls), aged between 12 and 18 years old, who completed a protocol of self-report instruments assessing sports anxiety (SAS-2), the perception of coach’s critical attitudes (APoCCAS), mindfulness (CAMM) and self-compassion (SCS). Results: Sports anxiety showed a positive association with critical coach attitudes and self-judgment and a negative association with mindfulness. Mindfulness revealed a negative association with self-judgment and the athletes’ perception of the coach’s critical attitudes. Self-judgment was positively associated with the athletes’ perception of the coach’s critical attitudes. The regression model explained 45% of the variance in sports anxiety, with mindfulness and self-judgment being the only predictors. Path analysis results indicated that the athlete’s mindfulness and self-judgment fully mediated the effect of the athletes’ perception of the coach’s critical attitudes on sports anxiety. Conclusions: Results suggest that athletes who perceive more critical attitudes from the coach, who have more self-judgmental attitudes, and fewer mindfulness skills tend to have higher levels of sports anxiety. The present study is innovative in showing how these variables are associated, suggesting that the development of mindfulness skills and the reduction of self-judgmental attitudes can help decrease the impact of the coach’s critical attitudes on competitive anxiety.

Effect of Life Skills Training on Suicidal Behaviour of Adolescents

The study aims to investigate the effect of life skills training on the suicidal behaviour of adolescents. The study employs a quasi-experimental research design. The sample comprised 970 adolescents studying in the ninth grade. The study was carried out in three phases. Life skills training programme was conducted in 30 sessions within the school premises. For each life skill, sessions were activity-based and participatory. The techniques used to impart training were role play, small group activities, lectures and group discussions. The results show a significant decremental effect of life skills training on suicidal behaviour of adolescents. Life skills training was effective in reducing suicidal behaviour among adolescents. Life skills training improves decision-making, problem-solving, goal setting, conflict resolution, advocacy, coping, and mindfulness skills in students. Hence, schools should provide skill-building opportunities for adolescents to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors. Also, schools should embed life skills training in general mental health promotion rather than specific suicide prevention activities.

Anxiety and Depression during COVID-19 in Elite Rugby Players: The Role of Mindfulness Skills

The COVID-19 pandemic created stressors that raised the likelihood of elite athletes experiencing mental health problems. Understanding how individual traits promote resilience is key to offering treatments specific to this population. This prospective study explores the relationship between mindfulness skills, resilience, and athletic identity on anxiety and depression. The initial assessment was during the first UK lockdown April–May 2020 (T1), and the second during the return to competition July-August 2020 (T2). The sample was 160 elite rugby players. Measures included: Personal Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7, Cognitive Affective Mindfulness Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Athletic Identity Measurement. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was profiled with descriptive statistics, and relationships between variables with bi-variate correlations and forward stepwise regression modelling. Depression decreased significantly between lock down (T1) and return to competition (T2) (MT1 = 4.20, MT2 = 3.24, p < 0.01), with no significant change in anxiety. Significant correlations were found between mindfulness, resilience, and anxiety and depression (≤0.001). Regression showed that mindfulness (T1) predicted lower anxiety and depression during the return to competition (T2) after controlling for baseline mental health symptoms. Returning to competition after lockdown was associated with a reduction in depression but not anxiety. Mindfulness skills potentially confer protection against anxiety and depression.

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CYBER-VICTIMISATION -A SINGLE CASE STUDY.

Dialectical behaviour therapy is a form of cognitive behaviour therapy that applies principles of learning to elicit the reasons and the strengthening factors behind maladaptive behaviours and alternate them with more healthy and helpful skills. The present study aims to assess the efcacy of brief dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality traits with cyber-victimisation. As a single experimental design, 20 years aged young female, diagnosed with borderline personality traits along with cyber-victimisation was taken up for the study. Borderline traits and cyber-victimisation were targeted maladaptive behaviours. The intervention was given for the duration of 8 weeks, during which DBT in a brief format consisting of mindfulness skills, emotion regulation skills, interpersonal effectiveness skills and distress tolerance skills was given. The sessions were based on weekly basis with each being 60 minutes session. Follow after a month revealed greater reduction in the targeted maladaptive behaviours. The study reveals that brief DBT is effective in reducing borderline personality traits and cyber-victimisation.

Understanding the Link Between Social Skills and Phone Use

Smartphones took the world by storm in the 2000s. Over the years, smartphones have become vital in everyday life. Each generation responds to technology differently. The younger generation is much more involved with smartphones as well as technology as a whole. Thus, spending too much time on a smartphone could be related to individual’s well-being. The purpose of the present study is to measure Emotional Intelligence (EI), mindfulness, and social competence among different age cohorts and see if there are differences in phone use. Our hypothesis is that participants who score higher on EI, Social Skills, and Mindfulness will score lower on the Problematic Phone Usage Scale. Younger adults will score lower on EI, Social Skills, and Mindfulness and higher on Problematic Phone Usage than middle aged and older adults. We ran correlational analyses among, mindfulness, social competence, and problematic phone usage and an ex-post facto comparison between the four cohorts with ages ranging 18-30 (n=105), 31-40 years old (n= 30), 41-50 (n= 30), and 51 and older (n= 21). Survey questions included the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- Short Form (TEIQ-SF), Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, Social Competence, and Problematic Phone Usage Scale. Data showed that as age increased phone use decreased. EI, mindfulness, and social competence scores for younger adults were much lower than for middle aged and older adults while younger adults had a significantly larger problematic phone use than middle aged.

PERAN MODERASI MINDFULNESS DALAM HUBUNGAN ANTARA INTENSITAS PENGGUNAAN INSTAGRAM DAN KESEPIAN PADA DEWASA MUDA

Loneliness is a feeling of emptiness that a person feels as a result of a lack of intimacy with others. The development of social media technology is also one of the factors that affect a person's loneliness. Results from previous research have shown that the use of social media can make a person lonely. To reduce feelings of loneliness, one must have mindfulness. The purpose of this study was to test the role of mindfulness moderation against the intensity of relationships of Instagram use and loneliness. The research uses non-experimental quantitative methods. Measuring instruments used in this study are UCLA Loneliness scale version 3, Instagram usage intensity measuring instrument, and Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. The participants of this study were 544 people who are Indonesian residents aged 20-40 years active users of Instagram.The results of this study show that there is no significant relationship between the intensity of Instagram use and loneliness, so the role of mindfulness moderation cannot be proven. Kesepian merupakan perasaan hampa yang dirasakan seseorang akibat dari kurangnya keintiman dengan orang lain. Perkembangan teknologi sosial media juga menjadi salah satu faktor yang memengaruhi rasa kesepian seseorang. Hasil dari penelitian sebelumnya menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan sosial media dapat menyebabkan seseorang menjadi kesepian. Untuk mengurangi perasaan kesepian, seseorang harus memiliki kesadaran dan sikap mindfulness. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah ingin menguji peran moderasi mindfulness terhadap hubungan intensitas penggunaan Instagram dan kesepian. Penelitian menggunakan metode kuantitatif non-eksperimental. Alat ukur yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah UCLA Loneliness scale version 3, alat ukur intensitas penggunaan Instagram, dan Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Partisipan penelitian ini sebanyak 544 orang yang merupakan penduduk Indonesia berusia 20-40 tahun pengguna aktif Instagram. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa tidak terdapat hubungan signifikan antara intensitas penggunaan Instagram dan kesepian, sehingga peran moderasi mindfulness tidak dapat dibuktikan.