The practice of meditation has been historically linked to beneficial effects, not only in terms of spirituality but also in terms of well-being, general improvement of psychophysiological conditions and quality of life. The present study aims to assess the beneficial effects of a short-term intervention (a combination of 12 practical 1-h sessions of meditation, called Integral Meditation, and lectures on neuroscience of meditation) on psychological indicators of well-being in subjects from the general population. We used a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, in which all participants (n = 41, 17 men and 24 women, with a mean age of 41.1 years) underwent the same intervention. Out of these, 24 had already experienced meditation practice, but only 12 in a continuative way. Effects were assessed by the standardized Italian version of three self-report questionnaires: Core Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). The questionnaires were filled in at baseline and immediately after the last meditation session. Linear mixed effect models were used to evaluate prepost treatment changes on each outcome. Participants showed a general, close to a statistically significant threshold, improvement in the total score of CORE-OM and its different domains. The total score of FFMQ (β = 0.154, p = 0.012) indicates a statistically significant increase in the level of mindfulness as well as in the domains acting with awareness (β = 0.212, p = 0.024), and non-judging of inner experiences (β = 0.384, p < 0.0001). Lastly, we observed a statistically significant improvement in the cognitive reappraisal ERQ domain (β = 0.541, p = 0.0003). Despite some limitations (i.e., small sample size, lack of a randomised control group and sole use of "soft" measurements, such as self-report questionnaires), this study offers promising results regarding the within-subject effectiveness of our intervention that includes a meditation practice on psychological indicators, thus providing interesting preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are known for their beneficial effects on positive and negative psychological factors. When applied in an occupational context, MBIs might help workers to cope with stress, increase their professional outcomes and wellbeing. OBJECTIVE: In this two-groups pre-post experimental design we tested the effect of our MBI, called Integral Meditation (IM), among the employers of an Italian service company by measuring positive and negative aspects of psychological wellbeing related to mindfulness and workplace functioning through eight self-report questionnaires (CORE-OM, FFMQ, WEMWBS, MAIA, PSS, PANAS, STAI-X1, SCS). METHOD: Forty-two voluntary non-clinical employers of the company, randomly assigned to the experimental or the control group, were analyzed. The experimental group underwent our IM program, which consists of 12 weekly meditation classes given after the afternoon shift, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data was analyzed via linear mixed models. RESULTS: Statistically significant results were obtained for FFMQ observing subscale (β= 0.49, p = 0.014), WEMWBS (β= 5.31, p = 0.02), PSS (β= –3.31, p = 0.03), the whole scale of SCS (β= 0.47, p = 0.01) and self-judgment (β= 0.68, p = 0.003) and isolation (β= –0.66, p = 0.01) SCS subscales. Statistically significant results were also found in four out of eight subscales of MAIA: emotional awareness (β= 1.26, p <  0.001), self-regulation (β= 1.28, p <  0.001), body listening (β= 1.08, p <  0.001) and trusting (β= 1.1, p <  0.001). CONCLUSION: Our intervention has demonstrated to bring beneficial effects in a mindfulness subdomain, in perceived stress, self-compassion, interoception and psychological wellbeing. Based on our results, we conclude that our intervention was effective in increasing the positive aspects of wellbeing and in reducing stress.

The benefits of mindfulness meditation among clinical and non-clinical populations have been largely reported in literature. Existing mindfulness-based programs are particularly useful in targeting specific populations while researchers have pointed out the possibility of developing programs adapted to the audience and the context. In this two-groups pre-post experimental design we developed a mindfulness-based social intervention program to target individuals from the general population. Here we present a two-groups pre-post experimental design to investigate its effectiveness on participants’ psychological functioning assessed by eight self-reported questionnaires (CORE-OM, FFMQ, SWLS, PANAS, PSS, SCS, WEMWBS, SHS) which encompass different domains of well-being, mindfulness and emotional functioning. Participants, recruited on voluntary basis, were randomly allocated to treated or passive control groups and were aware of group allocation. The intervention comprises a 12-week meditation training in a big group that represents the social aspect of meditation. Data were analysed via a linear mixed effect model and intention to treat. Statistically significant results were obtained for global score of CORE-OM (β = −0.20 [−0.30; −0.10], p = 0.0002), FFMQ (β = 0.20 [0.12; −0.28], p < 0.0001), SWLS (β = 1.43 [0.42; 2.45], p = 0.006), positive PANAS (β = 1.99 [0.95; 3.04], p = 0.0002), negative PANAS (β = −1.67 [−2.92; −0.43], p = 0.009), PSS (β = −2.98 [−4.25; −1.71], p < 0.0001), WEMWBS (β = 4.38 [2.93; 5.83], p < 0.0001) and SHS (β = 1.43 [0.42; 2.45], p = 0.006). Our intervention is causally associated with an improvement of the psychological functioning and hence can be considered as a preventive measure that may potentially reduce the risk of developing psychological problems and improve the subject’s general well-being. Given the voluntary recruitment, our inference only applies to those individuals who have decided to experience meditation as a way to well-being and not to a random person from the general population.

To limit the first spread of COVID-19 in March 2020, the Italian government imposed strict lockdown measures to the population. Despite necessary to reduce the virus transmission and the burden to the hospitals, social isolation has caused detrimental effects on psychological wellbeing and mental health. Moreover, during this period, it was also difficult to deliver psychological treatments and psychiatric assistance. A short (a weekly session for 9 weeks) mindfulness-based meditation program, named Integral Meditation (IM), was administered entirely online to healthy adults from Italy. This is a two-groups pre–post-quasi-experimental study in which the two groups, treated and control, were not randomized. Through matching procedures aimed at overcoming the absence of randomization, we analyzed a sample of 84 subjects (42 for each group). By applying linear mixed effect models, we tested the hypothesis of a beneficial effect of IM on wellbeing, perceived stress, and state anxiety, as measured by three self-reported questionnaires (WEMWBS, PSS, and STAI-X1, respectively), assuming that this effect could be different according to the level of baseline trait anxiety, as measured by STAI-X2. The results showed a statistically significant effect of STAI-X1 (β = −8.24 [95%CI −15.39; −1.09], p = 0.02) and WEMWBS (β = 4.61 [95%CI 0.94; 8.29], p = 0.01) in the higher trait anxiety subgroup only. No statistically significant effect of IM was observed for PSS. These results suggest that our IM, delivered online, may increase mental wellbeing and decrease anxiety specifically in subjects with higher trait anxiety.

Sleep of inadequate quantity and quality is increasing in the present 24 h society, with a negative impact on physical and mental health. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) generate a state of calm behavior that can reduce hyperactivity and improve sleep. We hypothesized that our specific MBI, administered online, may improve sleep quality and foster emotion regulation and mindfulness. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used to measure sleep quality and stability. Emotion regulation and mindfulness were measured via the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Our MBI included 12 biweekly integral meditation (IM) classes, recorded IM training for individual practice, and dietary advice to promote sleep regulation. Fifty-six voluntary poor sleepers with a PSQI score of >5 were randomly allocated to treated (n = 28) and control (n = 28) groups. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the effectiveness of the intervention. Statistically significant results were observed in the FFMQ sub-domain non-reactivity to inner experience (β = 0.29 [0.06; −0.52], p = 0.01), PSQI (β = −1.93 [−3.43; −0.43], p = 0.01), SCI (β = 3.39 [0.66; 6.13], p = 0.02) and ISI (β = −3.50 [−5.86; −1.14], p = 0.004). These results confirm our hypothesis regarding the beneficial effects of our intervention on sleep quality.