A Spanish mindfulness-based stress reduction group for Latinos: A prescription for healing

This researcher examined the lived experiences of Latino participants of a Spanish Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction group called El Programa de Reducción de Estrés using a qualitative approach. At the time of this study, few researchers had addressed the effectiveness of a Spanish MBSR program (Roth & Creaser, 1997; Roth & Robbins, 2004; Roth & Stanley, 2002). Further, there was no research addressing the reason for the 66% completion rate of the Spanish MBSR groups (Roth & Robbins, 2004) or how Mindfulness impacted one's suffering or overall quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore how Latinos responded to an alternative treatment program to suffering (e.g., medical and psychological symptoms; stress) and provide a description for why group participants completed the Spanish MBSR group. Sixteen adult Latinos who were enrolled in the Spanish MBSR group were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using Maykut and Morehouse's (1994) constant comparative method. Data analysis revealed six major themes: (1) Sufriendo [suffering] or Desesperación [despair] and El dolor [pain]; (2) facilitator's style; (3) connection to people cultivated group cohesion; (4) Mindfulness as an internal resource; (5) helpful hints; and (6) improvements. Restoration of faith or spirituality was an Emerging theme. This researcher also integrated the research findings and developed a Program Evaluation Model (see Figure 1) that explains the proposed effectiveness of Roth's Spanish MBSR program. This researcher attempted to capture the journey through Mindfulness in these participants. Overall, the Spanish MBSR program appeared to be a good fit for Latinos dealing with the suffering (e.g., medical and psychological symptoms, stress). The information gathered contributes to the psychological literature and aids in better understanding alternative programs to healing that include this population.