Who Fares Best With Mindfulness Meditation Understanding the Individual Effects of Mindfulness

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how individual differences affect the impact of mindfulness meditation on mental health and wellbeing. The study aims to understand the mechanisms behind mindfulness meditation's effects and to find out for whom mindfulness is helpful or possibly harmful. It focuses on three factors that may influence these effects: trauma symptoms, tendency to dissociate, and repetitive negative thinking. The study also considers obsessive-compulsive disorder beliefs and meditation practice habits as possible influencers. Participants enrolled in a Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) will attend group mindfulness courses lasting 2 to 3 hours each, held nearly weekly over eight weeks. These courses include guided mindfulness exercises, group discussions, reflections, psychoeducation, and homework tasks. The courses are based on standardized protocols from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and are led by certified trainers. Although course schedules may vary by site, all offer similar contact hours and content. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires before the course, halfway through, at the end, and three months after finishing the MBI. These questionnaires assess symptoms of anxiety and depression, quality of life, wellbeing, and any adverse effects from meditation. Some participants may be invited for interviews after the intervention. Researchers will analyze data from all sites together to compare effects and better understand the factors influencing mindfulness meditation's benefits and risks.

Who Fares Best With Mindfulness Meditation