Mindfulness in the machine: A mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the reduction of driving anger

The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the reduction of driving anger was examined in this study. A multiple baseline across groups design was used. Participants were 12 Hofstra University undergraduate men and women who commuted to the university and were high in driving anger. Three groups of four participants attended six, one and a half-hour treatment sessions. Groups began treatment approximately one week apart; follow-up data was collected for two weeks following the end of the intervention. The primary investigator delivered the treatment. The protocol used was derived from Kabat-Zinn's (1990) mindfulness-based stress reduction program and from Segal, Williams and Teasdale's (2002) mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.;Driving behavior was measured with the Driving Anger Scale, the Driving Anger Expression Inventory, a hand-counter and Driving Logs. Generalized treatment effects were assessed with the Trait Anger Scale and Anger Expression Inventory both from the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory - 2 and the Trait Anxiety Scale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Changes in physiological reactivity were assessed before and after the treatment was delivered by having participants listen to two anger arousing driving vignettes while having their blood pressure and pulse taken.;On the Driving Anger Survey, 11 participants showed a reduction and nearly every participant showed reductions on the driving logs. Eleven participants reported expressing their anger while driving less frequently and 11 participants reported dealing with their anger while driving in more adaptive and functional ways. Although reductions in general anger and anger expression tended to be small, 10 participants showed decreases on the Trait Anger Scale and 11 participants showed decreases on the Anger Expression Inventory. There is some evidence that participants began expressing and managing their general anger differently. Reductions in general anxiety also tended to be small; however, nine participants showed decreases on the Trait Anxiety Scale. No physiological changes were found in participants' reactivity to the anger provoking driving scenarios.;Based upon these results, it is suggested that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is a promising intervention for driving anger and general anger. Further research with additional dependent variables and a larger sample and more varied participants is recommended to replicate these findings.