Objectives: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a promising intervention for older adults seeking to improve quality of life. More research is needed, however, to determine who is most willing to use the four techniques taught in the program (yoga, sitting meditation, informal meditation, and body scanning). This study evaluated the relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness) and use of MBSR techniques both during the intervention and at a 6-month follow-up. The hypothesis was that those with higher levels of openness and agreeableness would be more likely to use the techniques. Methods: Participants were a community sample of 100 older adults who received an 8-week manualized MBSR intervention. Personality was assessed at baseline by using the 60-item NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Use of MBSR techniques was assessed through weekly practice logs during the intervention and a 6-month followup survey. Regression analyses were used to examine the association between each personality dimension and each indicator of MBSR use both during and after the intervention. Results: As hypothesized, openness and agreeableness predicted greater use of MBSR both during and after the intervention, while controlling for demographic differences in age, educational level, and sex. Openness was related to use of a variety of MBSR techniques during and after the intervention, while agreeableness was related to use of meditation techniques during the intervention. Mediation analysis suggested that personality explained postintervention MBSR use, both directly and by fostering initial uptake of MBSR during treatment. Conclusions: Personality dimensions accounted for individual differences in the use of MBSR techniques during and 6 months after the intervention. Future studies should consider how mental health practitioners would use these findings to target and tailor MBSR interventions to appeal to broader segments of the population.

109 Background: Approximately 4 out of 5 Americans are unfamiliar with palliative care, a significant barrier to utilization. Accordingly, providing patients with knowledge could empower them to seek palliative care. As a pilot investigation, the EMPOWER Study examined the impact of a psychoeducational intervention on patients’ preferences for palliative care. Methods: Participants were 581 patients with heterogeneous cancer diagnoses recruited through the NIH-sponsored ResearchMatch program. The study used a between-group pre-post design, completed in a single session via the Internet. Random assignment determined whether participants received psychoeducational information summarizing the results of the Temel et al. (2010) palliative care article, using a plain-language and graphical format. Participants completed measures of their health history, demographics, socioeconomic status (education level, financial strain, subjective financial standing), and depression symptom severity and completed a pre-post measure of preferences for palliative care. Results: Relative to controls, participants receiving the intervention experienced an increase in preferences for palliative care (p < .0001). The standardized mean difference in pre-post change was greater than a standard deviation in magnitude (Cohen’s d = 1.03), a “large” effect size by conventional standards. The intervention showed comparable effects across key patient subgroups, including patients of low socioeconomic status, patients living in low-access states, and patients with greater depression symptom severity. Conclusions: Providing patients with knowledge of recent research findings increased preferences for palliative cancer care. The next step is to develop psychoeducational interventions that are grounded in stakeholder input and incorporate a broader evidence base. This line of research has implications for empowering patients and their families to seek care that can improve quality of life.