The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Trauma in Victims of Gun Violence: a Pilot Study

Abstract

Objectives Gun violence is a significant problem in the United States of America. Gun violence produces lifelong psychological adversity, trauma, and grief. In the face of this epidemic, efficacious therapies that assuage gun violence-based trauma and negative health are lacking. Methods The proposed, longitudinal pilot experiment examined the effects of an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on traumatized individuals as a direct consequence of gun violence. Twenty-four victims of gun violence (median age = 53 years; 21 female) completed measures of the primary outcome: trauma. Secondary outcomes were characterized as grief, depression, sleep quality, life satisfaction, and mindfulness. All assessments were administered before, after 5, and 8 weeks of MBSR training. It was hypothesized that trauma and other comorbidities would improve following MBSR. It was also predicted that outcomes would be significantly stronger from baseline to 5 weeks of MBSR training than from 5 to 8 weeks of training. Results Before MBSR, volunteers exhibited high levels of trauma, depression, sleep difficulty, and grief. Participation in MBSR was associated with improved trauma, depression, sleep difficulty, and life satisfaction. The most pronounced improvements in psychological disposition were exhibited within the first 5 weeks of MBSR. However, these benefits were largely preserved after completion of the course. Importantly, increases in dispositional mindfulness predicted lower trauma, complicated grief, and sleep difficulties. Conclusions The present findings should be interpreted with caution because they were derived from an uncontrolled, non-randomized trial. However, said findings suggest that MBSR may reduce trauma and improve overall well-being in gun violence victims.

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“…We observed a trend for improvement in SBP at the 3-month follow-up in the MBSR group, with decreased DBP and MABP at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention. These findings align with studies demonstrating the potential of in lowering BP in clinical populations such as cancer and hypertension [ 24 , 25 ] as well as non-clinical populations like healthcare workers and victims of gun violence [ 26 , 27 ]. Additionally, a previous study found sustained decreases in cholesterol levels after MBSR in older adults at risk for coronary artery disease [ 28 ], and which may further impact blood pressure regulation [ 29 ].…”

Fear and Challenging behavior: A Phenomenological-Hermeneutic Study of people with public mass shooting attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand

“…Reduce media consumption. Using techniques to relieve stress by breathing in and out, mindfulness, and exercising related to the regular events of "grief" issue tags showed a signi cant increase in proportion in the week following the shooting [30]. In contrast, there is extant existing knowledge demonstrating that public mass shooting attacks produce a high occurrence of posttraumatic stress and depression that leads to suicidal ideas and showed a signi cant decrease in proportions the week following the shooting [18,28,31,32].…”