Search Results (104)

Police officers work in high-stress environments that demand emotional resilience, interpersonal skills, and effective communication. Occupational stress can negatively impact their motivation, conflict resolution abilities, and professional effectiveness. Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), a mindfulness-based intervention focused on cultivating compassion and empathy, has shown promise in enhancing prosocial attitudes and emotional regulation. With the rise of short video platforms, digital interventions like video-guided LKM may offer accessible mental health support for law enforcement. This study examines the effects of short video app-guided LKM on police officers’ mindfulness, public service motivation (PSM), conflict resolution skills (CRSs), and communication skills (CSSs). It aims to determine whether LKM can enhance these psychological and professional competencies. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 110 active-duty police officers from a metropolitan police department in China, with 92 completing the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the LKM group (n = 46) or the waitlist control group (n = 46). The intervention consisted of a 6-week short video app-guided LKM program with daily 10 min meditation sessions. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted using several validated scales: the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Public Service Motivation Scale (PSM), the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI), and the Communication Competence Scale (CCS). A 2 (Group: LKM vs. Control) × 2 (Time: Pre vs. Post) mixed-design MANOVA was conducted to analyze the effects. Statistical analyses revealed significant group-by-time interaction effects for PSM (F(4,177) = 21.793, p < 0.001, η² = 0.108), CRS (F(4,177) = 20.920, p < 0.001, η² = 0.104), and CSS (F(4,177) = 49.095, p < 0.001, η² = 0.214), indicating improvements in these areas for LKM participants. However, no significant improvement was observed for mindfulness (F(4,177) = 2.850, p = 0.930, η² = 0.016). Short video app-guided LKM improves public service motivation, conflict resolution skills, and communication skills among police officers but does not significantly enhance mindfulness. These findings suggest that brief, digitally delivered compassion-focused programs can be seamlessly incorporated into routine in-service training to strengthen officers’ prosocial motivation, de-escalation competence, and public-facing communication, thereby fostering more constructive police–community interactions. Full article

This study aimed to address the dearth of literature on mechanisms of effect of mindfulness-based interventions by investigating metacognitive beliefs as a potential mechanism of symptomology-reduction effects. The Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS) component of the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model was augmented to include subtypes of mind wandering and rumination. One hundred and seventy-eight participants sourced from professional networks (M_age = 53.13; SD = 11.80) completed an online questionnaire measuring dispositional mindfulness, metacognitive beliefs, rumination, mind wandering, worry, anxiety and depression. Effects of meditation frequency on these variables were examined, as were the relationships between them. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly negatively correlated with metacognitive beliefs, which were positively correlated with worry, mind wandering and rumination, all of which were positively correlated with symptomology. Significant correlations were stronger for spontaneous mind wandering and brooding rumination than their counterparts. Those reporting a daily meditation practice scored significantly higher on three of the five facets of mindfulness and significantly lower on anxiety and depression symptomology and several CAS elements than those who rarely meditated. Changes in metacognitive beliefs are a potential pathway for MBI-driven reductions in anxiety and depression symptomology. Increases in dispositional mindfulness through MBIs are likely to reduce metacognitive beliefs, which reduce maladaptive processes of the CAS, flowing on to reductions in symptomology. A daily meditation practice appears to increase the efficacy of this mechanism. Subtypes of mind wandering and rumination differ in their contribution to this pathway, perhaps more accurately represented as extremes on their respective continua rather than the current categorical model of typologies measured independently. Full article

Background: Mental health problems that can appear in women during pregnancy include fear, anxiety, feelings of vulnerability, stress, and depression. Mindfulness (MF) is a specific meditation technique that can help during treatment for prenatal mood disorders, emotional distress, and psychological strains. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a specific meditation approach in women during pregnancy on these mental health problems. Methods: This systematic review analysed data from PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. The search equation used was “mindfulness [title] AND pregnancy [title] AND (trial OR clinical trial OR RCT OR quasi-experimental OR experimental OR randomised clinical trial OR randomised controlled trial OR quasi-experimental study)”. This analyses experimental studies published in the last 10 years that include interventions based on MF, applying cognitive behavioural therapies to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety and in which the participants completed a questionnaire related to these variables. Standardised means effect size meta-analysis was performed with RevMan Web. Results: All the included studies (n = 13) reported that the intervention led to a decrease in negative symptoms related to prenatal pressure, apprehension, and melancholy. The duration of the MF programmes was 6 to 8 weeks. The meta-analysis showed that MF during pregnancy is an effective approach, with a standardised mean difference of −0.73 for anxiety, −0.67 for depression, and −0.74 for stress. Conclusions: Mindfulness programmes during pregnancy are a useful and effective means of reducing maternal stress, anxiety, and depression. Including MF programmes during pregnancy should be considered depending on resources availability. In person vs. online effectiveness should be investigated. Full article

Burn injuries lead to significant physical and psychological consequences, including chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, depression, and social isolation. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been proposed as a holistic approach to address these challenges in burn rehabilitation. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of dispositional mindfulness and MBIs, including mindfulness meditation, yoga, and self-compassion training, in managing pain, emotional distress, and psychosocial adaptation in burn survivors. A comprehensive literature search was conducted through MEDLINE and Web of Science, covering studies up to February 2025, with additional papers retrieved from Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar. Studies were included if they reported quantitative data on the effects of MBIs in burn patients and/or their families, excluding opinion pieces, editorials, reviews, and qualitative studies. After screening 91 studies retrieved from the databases and adding a compelling paper retrieved from the other sources explored, 12 studies were included in the final pool, categorized into cross-sectional studies (n = 6), and intervention studies (n = 6). The extracted data included publication year, research design, sample characteristics, intervention details, main findings, and data for quality assessment. The synthesis of the results suggests that mindfulness is associated with reduced psychological symptoms, improved emotional regulation, and enhanced self-compassion, leading to better coping strategies and social reintegration. However, the long-term efficacy of MBIs remains inconclusive, and further research is needed to differentiate mindfulness-specific effects from those of general physical exercise. Evidence also suggests that mindfulness interventions may reduce anxiety and secondary trauma in children with burns and their caregivers. This review highlights the potential of MBIs as adjuncts to conventional burn rehabilitation programs, but further high-quality trials are needed to establish their sustained efficacy and to understand the specific benefits of mindfulness. Full article

The Thoughtseeds Framework introduces a novel computational approach to modeling thought dynamics in meditative states, conceptualizing thoughtseeds as dynamic attentional agents that integrate information. This hierarchical model, structured as nested Markov blankets, comprises three interconnected levels: (i) knowledge domains as information repositories, (ii) the Thoughtseed Network where thoughtseeds compete, and (iii) meta-cognition regulating awareness. It simulates focused-attention Vipassana meditation via rule-based training informed by empirical neuroscience research on attentional stability and neural dynamics. Four states—breath_control, mind_wandering, meta_awareness, and redirect_breath—emerge organically from thoughtseed interactions, demonstrating self-organizing dynamics. Results indicate that experts sustain control dominance to reinforce focused attention, while novices exhibit frequent, prolonged mind_wandering episodes, reflecting beginner instability. Integrating Global Workspace Theory and the Intrinsic Ignition Framework, the model elucidates how thoughtseeds shape a unitary meditative experience through meta-awareness, balancing epistemic and pragmatic affordances via active inference. Synthesizing computational modeling with phenomenological insights, it provides an embodied perspective on cognitive state emergence and transitions, offering testable predictions about meditation skill development. The framework yields insights into attention regulation, meta-cognitive awareness, and meditation state emergence, establishing a versatile foundation for future research into diverse meditation practices (e.g., Open Monitoring, Non-Dual Awareness), cognitive development across the lifespan, and clinical applications in mindfulness-based interventions for attention disorders, advancing our understanding of the nature of mind and thought. Full article

(1) Background: University students’ mental health (MH) is in crisis due to academic stress, lack of physical activity (PA), and low self-esteem. This study evaluated a 12-week PA and meditation intervention to enhance psychological well-being in Spanish university students. (2) Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used, with a non-randomized control group and pretest-posttest assessments. The study lasted 14 weeks (12 weeks of intervention and two for evaluations). Initially, 149 students were recruited, but the final sample included 136 (82 intervention, 54 control) due to attrition. Participants were selected through convenience sampling, respecting university-established groups. The intervention consisted of six PA sessions (aerobic, cardiovascular, and strength exercises) and six meditation sessions (yoga and mindfulness). Validated questionnaires assessed resilience, psychological distress, self-esteem, mood, personality traits, sedentary behavior, PA levels, and sleep duration. (3) Results: Significant improvements were found in resilience (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.01), and sleep duration (p < 0.05), with greater mood benefits in men. No major changes were observed in other variables. (4) Conclusions: PA- and meditation-based interventions can improve students’ MH, particularly in key psychological aspects. Further research should explore long-term effects and refine strategies by distinguishing between preventive and therapeutic approaches. Full article

The Huayan Grotto in Anyue County is one of the most typical caves of the grottoes of Sichuan 四川 and Chongqing 重慶. Being well known for its grand scale and the beautiful style of its sculptures, the cave was designed and carved by the Liu-Zhao sect 柳趙教派 in eastern Sichuan during the Southern Song Dynasty. The Liu-Zhao sect is a local religious group that relies on grottoes and statues to state concepts, propagate ideas, and spread doctrines. The sect is good at integrating a variety of Buddhist thoughts to form its own unique theoretical and practical system. The large-scale statue-making activities under the auspices of the Liu-Zhao sect 柳趙教派 are a classic example of the localization of Buddhism in Southwest China. The ideological system of the Liu-Zhao sect is centered on Huayan, and Huayan Grotto is the very concentration of its special philosophy. This paper considers that the cave constitutes a holy place, with a theme of thoughts of Huayan, which was built based on important doctrines of two masters. Through the combination and arrangement of diversified images, the cave is so far the most complex, complete, and systematic visualized representation of the Huayan’s theory and practice. Inside the cave are carved full-length portraits of Li Tongxuan 李通玄, the Elder of Huayan, and Guifeng Zongmi 圭峰宗密, the fifth patriarch of the Huayan sect. There are also statues and inscriptions that illustrate Li’s thoughts, such as the Ten Assemblies in Ten Locations 十處十會and the Sudhana’s Pilgrimage 善財遍參based on Li’s exegetical writings on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra; the Three Saints of the Huayan School (Huayan sansheng 華嚴三聖) carved on the basis of Li’s pioneering idea about the trinity of three saints; and the mind-only verse 惟心偈, emphasizing mind as the foundation of Avataṃsaka practice. Zongmi’s Avataṃsaka thoughts were mainly expounded through a series of commentaries on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment 大方廣圓覺修多羅了義經, to which the impressive Twelve Bodhisattvas of Perfect Enlightenment are directly related. In addition to the theoretical system, the cave offers two means for Avataṃsaka practice. Highly qualified Avataṃsaka practitioners practice by viewing the Trinity of Three Saints and the Buddha’s Light, and then they go through five phases of fruition to attain Buddhahood, which is the Avataṃsaka practice dominated by Li Tongxuan’s thoughts. Less qualified practitioners practice through repentance liturgies and sitting in meditation at the Ritual Site of Perfect Enlightenment, which is the practice of Perfect Enlightenment advocated by Zongmi 宗密. Full article

Nature-based interventions (NBIs) grounded in mindfulness have been shown to be beneficial for improving mental wellbeing in adults. With increasing mental health challenges among children and adolescents, accessible and cost-effective interventions are essential to enhance their well-being. Brief mindfulness-based NBIs may be helpful in this regard, but there is a dearth of evidence testing such NBIs in young adolescents. The aim of this study was to test the effect of a brief nature-based meditation on mental wellbeing in community groups of adolescents (n = 38; aged 12–17) and adults (n = 39; aged 18–26). We hypothesised that the meditation would reduce depressive rumination and stress in both age groups. In a repeated-measures design, participants completed self-report measures, indexing mental wellbeing (state rumination and stress) before and immediately after listening to a brief (13 min) nature-based meditation. Rumination and stress improved overall, and the pattern in the data suggested that effects were larger for adults when compared to adolescents. This study provides preliminary evidence for the use of a brief nature-based meditation in improving mental wellbeing in adolescents. Future research should make NBIs age appropriate and examine their effectiveness for clinical adolescent populations. Full article

Purposes: The Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ) has been considered the best available measure of body awareness, but it is not currently available in Spanish. Methods: To address this shortcoming, a sample of 281 Spanish participants completed a survey with a Spanish version of the BAQ, as well as the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS-2), the Self-Compassion Scale-Short (SCS-S) and the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale-Short (NSSS-S). Results: Analysis of the Spanish BAQ showed good reliability: α = 0.82. Positive correlations with the BAS-2 and the SCS-S, and no significant correlation with the NSSS-S, support the convergent and discriminant validity of the Spanish BAQ. In conceptual validity, the Spanish BAQ further successfully discriminated between meditators and non-meditators, showing additional support for the conceptual validity of the measure. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported a two-factor structure, rather than a one-factor or four-factor version, as proposed for the original English version. Conclusions: The Spanish version of the BAQ has shown adequate reliability and validity and would be a good scale to continue exploring in clinical Spanish population samples, e.g., in patients with chronic pain, and non-clinical ones, e.g., after interventions in sexuality or sport. It could be an interesting questionnaire to assess outcomes of mindfulness-based interventions. Full article

We present and develop local prospect theory (LPT), a novel framework for understanding consciousness, and, in particular, subjective experience and free will. While predictive processing (PP) theories model the brain as trying to optimize the accuracy of predictions, LPT sees uncertainty as an essential feature of conscious decision-making. This is achieved by creating a “local prospect”—a range of potential developments colored by subjective experience from which an agent can freely choose how to react. Drawing on global workspace theory, LPT conceptualizes consciousness as a self-maintaining process of circulating neural activation, creating a temporary working memory where thoughts and feelings coming from different brain modules enter into an asynchronous, non-linear interaction. This contrasts with unconscious processes, which operate automatically and deterministically. LPT proposes entropy-based measures, including the determination of actions by conditions and the breadth of prospect, to quantify the range of potential developments considered. This framework allows us to understand Buddhist practices and concepts, such as mindfulness, liberation from attachments, and meditation, which broaden consciousness and de-automatize reactions by reducing the influence of conditioning. The proposed prospect measure may be operationalized by indicators such as the variety of action, breadth of perception, and unpredictability of behavior, thus allowing for the empirical testing of the theory. Full article

Meditation interventions have important benefits, including potentially helping those with higher attachment anxiety and avoidance enjoy better personal and relational growth. This preregistered and reproducible systematic map sought to identify the extent and scope of experimental evidence investigating the role of mindfulness, loving-kindness, and compassion-based multi-session meditation interventions in (a) moderating the effects of attachment orientations on outcomes over time and/or (b) changing attachment orientations over time. We conducted a systematic map, as the literature on meditation interventions and attachment is nascent. We searched 5 databases, screening 725 studies. We extracted data from four journal articles and one dissertation (five studies in total) which met our inclusion criteria. Four studies examined the effects of meditation interventions on buffering attachment insecurity and one examined attachment security enhancement. All five studies included a mindfulness meditation intervention, and one included a loving-kindness meditation intervention. All studies were conducted in Western cultures. Studies primarily found evidence for interventions benefitting those with higher attachment anxiety, although some evidence emerged for higher attachment avoidance. Our systematic map highlights a critical need for further application of meditation interventions in an attachment and personal growth context, given the promising nature of early work in this area. Full article

Background and Objectives: Chronic low back pain is a widespread condition, particularly in older populations, contributing to physical, mental, and social burdens. Traditional treatments, such as medications and surgery, carry long-term risks, including dependency, side-effects, and complications from invasive procedures. Additionally, healthcare accessibility is limited due to high costs, long waiting times, and geographic disparities in healthcare services, particularly in rural areas. For these reasons, non-pharmacological approaches that address both physical and psychological aspects are increasingly recognized as effective. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a marine resource-based healing program in Taean, South Korea, in improving pain, physical function, and mental health in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial involved 46 participants with non-specific chronic low back pain (mean age, 68.7 ± 5.1 years), randomly allocated to either an experimental group (marine healing program) or a control group (core exercises). The experimental group participated in a 4-night, 5-day intervention comprising heated peat pack therapy, mindfulness meditation, core exercises, and local tourism. The control group performed core exercises without additional interventions. Key outcomes included pain, muscle properties, functional disability, lower extremity function, balance, gait, and depression. Results: The experimental group demonstrated significant reductions in resting pain (p < 0.001), improved pressure pain threshold at L3 (p < 0.001), decreased L3 muscle tone (p = 0.015), and improved functional disability scores (p < 0.001). Functional gains were observed in lower extremity function scores (p < 0.001), balance (sway area: p = 0.046), gait velocity (p < 0.001), and depression levels (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The marine healing program significantly improved pain, functional abilities, and mental well-being in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain, highlighting its potential as an integrative approach to chronic low back pain management. Further studies are recommended to explore long-term and generalized effects. Full article

Background: Nurses frequently face various sources of stress in the workplace, making self-compassion interventions crucial for promoting their mental well-being. This scoping review aims to: (a) identify self-compassion intervention programs implemented within the nursing population; and (b) analyze the content and outcome measures of these interventions. Methods: The study follows Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework and adheres to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Relevant literature on self-compassion interventions for nurses published between January 2010 and May 2024 was systematically reviewed. Databases searched included PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and the Cochrane Library, using MeSH terms and free-text keywords such as “self-compassion”, “self-kindness”, “self-appreciation”, “self-worth”, “self-forgiveness”, “self-awareness”, “nurses”, and “nursing”. Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Self-compassion interventions were categorized into two types: (1) mindfulness-focused programs, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Care and Resiliency (MSCR), which treat self-compassion as a potential outcome; and (2) self-compassion-focused programs, including Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), and Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM). Conclusions: The mental health challenges faced by nurses have drawn growing attention, underscoring the importance of self-compassion interventions. This review examines empirical studies within the nursing population, contributing to the development of more targeted and effective strategies to enhance the mental health and well-being of nursing professionals. Full article

Background and Objectives: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition worldwide. The limited effectiveness of current psychological and pharmacological treatments has motivated studies on meditation techniques. This study is a comprehensive, multiple-treatments meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of different categories of meditation in treating PTSD. Methods and Materials: We followed Prisma guidelines in our published protocol to search major databases and to conduct a meta-analysis of the studies. Results: We located 61 studies with 3440 subjects and divided them logically into four treatment groups: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR, 13 studies); Mindfulness-Based Other techniques (MBO, 16 studies), Transcendental Meditation (TM, 18 studies), and Other Meditations that were neither mindfulness nor TM (OM, 14 studies). Trauma populations included war veterans, war refugees, earthquake and tsunami victims, female survivors of interpersonal violence, clinical nurses, male and female prison inmates, and traumatized students. Of those offered, 86% were willing to try meditation. The baseline characteristics of subjects were similar across meditation categories: mean age = 52.2 years, range 29–75; sample size = 55.4, range 5–249; % males = 65.1%, range 0–100; and maximum study duration = 13.2 weeks, range 1–48. There were no significant differences between treatment categories on strength of research design nor evidence of publication bias. The pooled mean effect sizes in Hedges’s g for the four categories were MBSR = −0.52, MBO = −0.66, OM = −0.63, and TM = −1.13. There were no appreciable differences in the study characteristics of research conducted on different meditations in terms of the types of study populations included, outcome measures, control conditions, gender, or length of time between the intervention and assessment of PTSD. TM’s effect was significantly larger than for each of the other categories, which did not differ from each other. No study reported serious side effects. Conclusions: All categories of meditation studied were helpful in mitigating symptoms of PTSD. TM produced clinically significant reductions in PTSD in all trauma groups. We recommend a multisite Phase 3 clinical trial to test TM’s efficacy compared with standard treatment. Full article

Background: Stress and anxiety are common problems among nursing students, affecting their mental health and academic performance. Compassion training has been shown to be effective in reducing these states. Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of a compassion-based course on perceived stress and anxiety (state and trait) among nursing students at a state university in Chile. Methods: A pre-experimental design was implemented with 45 second-year students, who completed evaluations before and after the intervention. The course included 10 sessions involving compassion meditation, mindfulness, self-compassion exercises, and autonomous practice. Results: The results showed significant reductions in and a high effect size regarding perceived stress (Cohen’s d = 0.83) and state anxiety (Cohen’s d = 0.74), while trait anxiety showed a moderate reduction (Cohen’s d = 0.34). Mediation analysis revealed that increases in self-compassion mediated the relationship between autonomous practice time and reductions in stress and trait anxiety. Conclusions: These findings suggest that compassion training is an effective strategy for reducing stress and anxiety in nursing students, improving their emotional regulation and preparation for professional practice. Therefore, it is necessary to include this approach in students’ curricular programs. Full article