The effect of mindfulness meditation training on biological acute stress responses in generalized anxiety disorder

Hoge, Elizabeth A.; Bui, Éric; Palitz, Sophie A.; Schwarz, Noah; Owens, Maryann E.; Johnston, Jennifer M.; Pollack, Mark H.; Simon, Naomi M.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.006

Cited by 153 publications

(139 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Other randomised trials of community samples also failed to find effects on CRP 35,59 and cell counts 60 , although mindfulness meditation significantly influenced TNF-α levels in healthy individuals when individual studies were combined in a meta-analysis. Trials on clinically anxious or depressed populations found significant effects on TNF-α with samples of 60-70 participants 61,62 ; however a recent actively controlled trial with HIV patients failed to find any effects 63,27 .…”

Section: Outcome (Unit)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Immune dysregulation among students exposed to exam stress and its mitigation by mindfulness training: findings from an exploratory randomised trial

Turner

Galante

Vainre

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Psychological distress persisting for weeks or more promotes pro-inflammatory immune dysregulation, a risk factor for a range of chronic diseases. We have recently shown that mindfulness training reduces distress among university students. Here we present an exploratory trial to study immune dysregulation in a cohort of students who were exposed to progressively greater stress as the exam period approached, and to explore whether mindfulness training mitigated this dysregulation. Healthy University of Cambridge students were randomised to join an 8-week mindfulness course (N = 27), or to mental health support as usual (N = 27). Psychological distress, immune cell proportions, cytokines, cRp and serum cortisol were measured at baseline and during the exam period. increased distress was associated with statistically significant increases in the proportion of B cells, regardless of trial arm (*p = 0.027). There were no other associations between any of the measured parameters, distress or mindfulness. Our finding that the proportion of B cells increases with psychological distress supports the findings of other studies. However, we found no evidence that mindfulness training is able to buffer the effects of psychological distress on healthy participants' immune system. In order to detect these effects, should they exist, larger randomised trials will be required. The human mind, brain and immune systems have much in common. They are complex, self-organising economies that recognise self from non-self, interact with the environment and possess ability to store information. The immune system alone is a highly distributed network of effectors, regulators and signals, which depend on dynamic balances to determine the best configuration for each environmental challenge. Prolonged systemic inflammation leads to increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and depression 1 , the most important global causes of morbidity and mortality. Thus, interventions that restore or maintain normal immune function in healthy and at risk populations are useful in preventing a range of mental and physical disorders 2,3. Even small improvements at a population level could lead to large reductions in morbidity and mortality 4. The immune, endocrine and nervous systems are known to interact with one another to provide a coordinated response to external stimuli, whether it be a physical insult such as wounding or an emotional stressor such as perceived stress (reviewed in Glaser et al.) 5. Acute stress promotes a pro-inflammatory state along with the "fight

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Section: Outcome (Unit)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Immune dysregulation among students exposed to exam stress and its mitigation by mindfulness training: findings from an exploratory randomised trial

Turner

Galante

Vainre

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Kabat-Zinn (1990) [56] defined mindfulness as "paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment" (p. 23). Scientific evidence from analyses and meta-analyses has shown the results on the level of benefits of Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), inter alia, over physical pain [57], depression [58], anxiety [59], stress and well-being [60], sleep [61], and inflammatory response [59]. In addition, approaches such as mindfulness training for introspection in the selfish-selfless spectrum are entering the mainstream of clinical care for managing pain, depression, and stress [62].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness versus Physical Exercise: Effects of Two Recovery Strategies on Mental Health, Stress and Immunoglobulin A during Lunch Breaks. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Díaz-Silveira

Hera

Burgos

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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This research analyses the effects of mindfulness meditation (MM) and physical exercise (PE), practised as daily recovery activities during lunch breaks, on perceived stress, general mental health, and immunoglobin A (IgA). A three-armed randomized controlled trial with 94 employees was conducted for five weeks including two follow-up sessions after one and six months. Daily practice lasted 30 min maximum. Perceived stress and general mental health questionnaires and saliva samples were used. There were significant differences in time factor comparing pre-and post-test of Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) both for PE [Mdiff = 0.10, SE = 0.03, p = 0.03], and for MM [Mdiff = 0.09, SE = 0.03, p = 0.03]. Moreover, there were significant differences of interaction factor when comparing MM vs. PE in total score at pre-post [F = −2.62 (6, 168.84), p = 0.02, ω 2 = 0.09], favoring PE with medium and high effect sizes. Regarding General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) variable, practicing MM showed significant effects in time factor compared to pre-Fup2. No significant differences were found for IgA. Thus, practicing both MM and PE as recovery strategies during lunch breaks could reduce perceived stress after five weeks of practice, with better results for PE. Moreover, practicing MM could improve mental health with effects for 6 months.for conducting research on immune function [15][16][17]. Nevertheless, the relationship between sIgA responses and stressors is not linear, since sIgA increases as a response to both relaxation and stressors [18,19]. Therefore, it has been proposed that acute stress may potentially enhance the immune system as an adaptive response [20], while chronic stress produces a decline in immune functioning, associated with high susceptibility to infectious diseases [21,22].Work and workplace-related issues are common sources of stress [23]. Work-related stress is associated with a decrease in productivity, increased absenteeism, accidents and injuries, mental illness, increased errors and poor performance, conflictive relations, somatic symptom disorders and even alcohol and drug abuse [24]. According to the International Labour Organization (2016) [25], stress is responsible for 30% of all work-related disorders. In the European Union, workplace stress has a negative impact on the wellbeing of 22% of the total labour force [26] and these data are expected to rise in the future [27,28].All this implies significant financial costs to society. In the European Union, the cost of work-related depression is estimated at € 617 billion a year, including costs to employers resulting from absenteeism and presenteeism (€ 272 billion), loss of productivity (€ 242 billion), health care costs (€ 63 billion) and social welfare costs due to disability benefit payments (€ 39 billion) [29].In this context, it seems crucial to find effective solutions. Sometimes, employees seek help to develop stress management strategies through psychotherapy, training courses, effective communication techniques, social support and re...

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“…This study was novel in that it involved a multimodal mindfulness program that exposed students to an array of different activities that could facilitate stress management, but incorporated differing media that could appeal to students with varying attentional capacities, sensorimotor needs, and selfregulation skills. For example, while traditional sitting meditations have been well studied for their stress management properties (Davis et al, 2019;Hoge et al, 2018), the author's experience as educators and practitioners led to our surmise that some students would benefit more from movement based mindfulness activities, while others would prefer the incorporation of sound, visualization, and tactile experiences in combinations unique to each participant. It was an aim of this study to allow students to have autonomy in the ability to tailor the mindfulness activities to their own specific needs and preferences.…”

Section: (Participant 13)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mindfulness meditation practices teach people to regulate perceived states of stress through mental training designed to facilitate attention to the present moment, relaxation, and the halting of dysfunctional thoughts (Lindsay & Creswell, 2017). Mindfulness meditation has been particularly effective at assuaging the cognitive ruminations accompanying anxiety and depression (Hoge et al, 2018;Khusid & Vythilingam, 2016). A growing body of literature has demonstrated the positive effects of mindfulness practices to reduce stress in a range of populations, including college students (Bamber & Schneider, 2016; Barbosa et al, 2013;Galante et al, 2018;Ramler et al, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of a Multimodal Mindfulness Program for Student Health Care Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Gutman¹,

Sliwinski²,

Laird³

et al. 2020

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

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Background: The effectiveness of a multimodal mindfulness program incorporating traditional and nontraditional forms of active and nonactive meditation practices with a sample of occupational and physical therapy students was assessed in this study.Method: Thirty-six participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The 8-week mindfulness program consisted of one weekly 40-min in-person group session and four weekly 10-min online guided meditations. Pre and postintervention measures included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Student Stress Management Scale (SSMS), mindfulness activity log, open-ended qualitative questionnaire, GPA, and counseling visit frequency.Results: Statistically significant differences, with large effect sizes, were found between intervention and control group PSS (Z=-4.291, pd=-1.84) and SSMS (Z=-3.330, pd=-1.27) postintervention scores. Statistically significant differences, with large effect sizes, were found between intervention group pre and postmindfulness activity ratings for each week and all weeks combined (Z=-12.599, pd=1.29). Qualitative data revealed eight themes including greater sleep quality, energy levels, self-compassion, and life-work balance. No statistically significant differences were found between intervention and control group counseling visit frequency and GPA.Conclusion: As this is preliminary data about a novel intervention with a small student sample, effectiveness of this intervention should be further explored in a replication study. CommentsThe authors report that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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The effect of mindfulness meditation training on biological acute stress responses in generalized anxiety disorder

Cited by 153 publications

References 38 publications

Immune dysregulation among students exposed to exam stress and its mitigation by mindfulness training: findings from an exploratory randomised trial

Immune dysregulation among students exposed to exam stress and its mitigation by mindfulness training: findings from an exploratory randomised trial

Mindfulness versus Physical Exercise: Effects of Two Recovery Strategies on Mental Health, Stress and Immunoglobulin A during Lunch Breaks. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of a Multimodal Mindfulness Program for Student Health Care Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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