International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mindfulness-based practices (MBPs) are characterized by mental concentration, spiritual training, and breathing techniques integrated with or without slowing/relaxed bodily movements. These traditional Eastern training methods have become popular in recent years and include meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, breathing techniques, relaxation, yoga, Tai Chi, Baduanjin Qigong, Wuqinxi Qigong, pilates, mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, and stress management and resiliency training. The growing body of evidence indicates that MBPs not only help practitioners gain both physical and mental benefits but also contribute to enhancing athletic performance. Some of these research findings have been published in prestigious academic journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, British Medical Journal, Archives of Internal Medicine, and JAMA. To further understand the effects of MBPs on the human body, well-being, and functioning, more evidence-based research is needed. Thus, we have the privilege of inviting you to submit your unpublished work in the form of a systematic review of existing literature, meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, or research article with sound scientific methods and innovative statistical analyses.

Prof. Dr. Liye Zou
Dr. Chunxiao Li
Dr. Kevin Ka Shing Chan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mindfulness
health benefits
yoga
Tai Chi
Qigong
health promotion

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

11 pages, 10847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Emotional Conflict Processing between High and Low Mindfulness Adolescents: An ERP Study

by Xiaomin Chen and Xinmei Deng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2891; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052891 - 2 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2068

Abstract

Mindfulness is a state of concentration that allows individuals to focus on their feelings and thoughts without judgment. However, little is known regarding the underlying neural processes of mindfulness. This study used ERPs to investigate the differences between high and low trait mindfulness adolescents during emotional conflict processing. Nineteen low mindfulness adolescents (LMSs) and sixteen high mindfulness adolescent (HMSs) individuals were asked to complete a face Stroop task. The task superimposed emotional words on emotional faces to generate congruent (CC) and incongruent (IC) conditions. Continuous electroencephalogram data were recorded during the face Stroop task. Results revealed that for N450, the interaction of congruency and group was significant. The incongruent trials evoked a larger N450 than the congruent trials in the HMSs, whereas there were no significant differences between the two conditions in the LMSs. There were significant main effects of congruency for SP (slow potential). The incongruent trials evoked a larger SP than the congruent trials. The results suggest that mindfulness may only affect early conflict monitoring rather than later conflict resolution. The findings expand the neural basis of the effect of mindfulness on inhibitory control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The 2nd Edition: Mindfulness-Based Practice for Health Benefits)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

22 pages, 2228 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Systematic Review for the Medical Applications of Meditation in Randomized Controlled Trials

by Do-Young Kim, Soo-Hwa Hong, Seung-Hyeon Jang, So-Hyeon Park, Jung-Hee Noh, Jung-Mi Seok, Hyun-Jeong Jo, Chang-Gue Son and Eun-Jung Lee

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1244; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031244 - 22 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6838

Abstract

Background: Meditation has been increasingly adapted for healthy populations and participants with diseases. Its beneficial effects are still challenging to determine due to the heterogeneity and methodological obstacles regarding medical applications. This study aimed to integrate the features of therapeutic meditation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: We conducted a systematic review of RCTs with meditation for populations with diseases using the PubMed database through June 2021. We analyzed the characteristics of the diseases/disorders, participants, measurements, and their overall benefits. Results: Among a total of 4855 references, 104 RCTs were determined and mainly applied mindfulness-based (51 RCTs), yoga-based (32 RCTs), and transcendental meditation (14 RCTs) to 10,139 patient-participants. These RCTs were conducted for participants with a total of 45 kinds of disorders; the most frequent being cancer, followed by musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases and affective mood disorder. Seven symptoms or signs were frequently assessed: depressive mood, feeling anxious, quality of life, stress, sleep, pain, and fatigue. The RCTs showed a higher ratio of positive outcomes for sleep (73.9%) and fatigue (68.4%). Conclusions: This systematic review produced the comprehensive features of RCTs for therapeutic meditation. These results will help physicians and researchers further study clinical adaptations in the future as reference data. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The 2nd Edition: Mindfulness-Based Practice for Health Benefits)

► Show Figures