Research note: A randomized investigation of evangelical Christian accommodative mindfulness.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of religiously accommodative mindfulness compared with traditional mindfulness on stress, anxiety, and depression in an evangelical Christian college sample using a randomized trial design. Volunteer participants (n ϭ 78) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions. The Christian mindfulness training (CMT) group protocol was explicitly adapted to the evangelical Christian faith, while the conventional mindfulness training (MT) group protocol utilized typical mindfulness meditations. Participants completed 3 weeks of treatment that included psychoeducational group sessions and prescribed daily applications of the mindfulness techniques. Posttreatment differences between the 2 groups were then compared on the measures. Measures used included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, Lee, 2012) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS, Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). Results indicated significant differences within and between groups, with the CMT group reporting lower levels of stress and depression compared to the MT group, as well as lower overall negative symptoms based on total DASS scores. CMT group participants also reported significantly greater treatment compliance in comparison with MT group participants. Findings provide preliminary support for potential differences in treatment outcomes when religious accommodations are made to mindfulness. Limitations and recommendations are considered.

Addressing Diversity in Mindfulness Research on Health: A Narrative Review using the ADDRESSING Framework

“…26 Another intervention study compared a secular mindfulness training (n=49) with a modified Christian MBI (n=42) in college students, and found that while both groups reported decreases in depressive, anxiety, and stress scores, those in the modified Christian group reported greater reductions of distress and higher treatment adherence rates. 27 Finally, a study of African-American college students (n=184) found an association between religiosity and mindfulness, with those who reported being religious having higher mindfulness scores than nonreligious students. 28 While increasing spirituality often is not the intent of mindfulness training in most Western research studies, it can still be a pertinent outcome for the whole-person and, for some religious individuals, grounding mindfulness in their religion can increase the benefits of mindfulness training.…”

Maintaining Health and Well-Being by Putting Faith into Action During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In fact, randomized controlled trials show that practice of the 7th step on the Eightfold Path, mindfulness, decreases stress levels (Hazlett-Stevens et al 2019). Mindfulness meditation may also be adapted for Christian elders to reduce stress and anxiety (Ford and Garzon 2017), and similar effects may be achieved by Centering Prayer, which is very much like mindfulness (Blanton 2011). In Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita emphasizes that fixing one's mind on the Supreme God provides happiness and peace here and now (5:21;18:65).…”

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“…The phenomenon of Jewish Mindfulness is but one aspect of a broader phenomenon of the appropriation of Mindfulness within Western religious contexts. One can observe, for example, similar trends in the phenomenon of "Christian Mindfulness" (Tan 2011;Symington and Symington 2012;Frederick and White 2015;Trammel 2015;Ford and Garzon 2017) and "Muslim Mindfulness" (Ghorbani 2009;Mirdal 2012;Thomas et al 2016;Helminski 2017;Salyers 2017).…”