The Effect Of Quality And Dosage Of Mindfulness Practice On The Stress-reducing Effects Of Mindfulness Intervention

Over the past few decades,mindfulness interventions have attracted increasing attention and the empirical research on mindfulness training has grown exponentially,with many studies supporting the conclusion that mindfulness training can increase well-being by reducing individuals’ stress levels and enhancing positive emotions,among other things.A range of evidence-based mindfulness interventions are centered on carefully structured,step-by-step mindfulness exercises,which are believed to be the basis for the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions.Although an orthotic intervention is a psychological intervention based on mindfulness exercises,theoretically the effect of an orthotic intervention should be brought about by quality and adequate exercises.However,the question of whether and how the quality and dosage of mindfulness practice affects the stress-reducing effects of mindfulness interventions has not been adequately studied.This study answers this question through a three-part work.Study 1: An expert interview study on the quality of mindfulness practice.Factors describing the quality of mindfulness practice were obtained by interviewing14 positive thinkers with long years of experience in mindfulness practice and extensive experience in teaching mindfulness,and by analyzing the interview texts using grounded theory.The results of the study showed that the four core categories of relationship to experience,awareness,attention,and difficulty in practice together describe the typical characteristics for assessing the quality of mindfulness practice.Study 2: Development of a questionnaire to assess the quality of positive thinking practice.Development of the Mindfulness Practice Quality Assessment Questionnaire.On the basis of Study 1,an initial questionnaire was formed,and 307 subjects with regular mindfulness practice experience were recruited,and then item analysis,factor analysis,and reliability testing were conducted to form the Mindfulness Practice Quality Assessment Questionnaire.The results of the study showed that the questionnaire consisted of three dimensions: intention and effort of awareness,intention and effort of acceptance,and attention in the present moment,with a total of nine items,and the results indicated that the questionnaire had good reliability and validity.Study 3: The relationship between the quality/dosage of mindfulness practice and the effectiveness of the course in reducing stress: a study from an eight-week course on mindfulness.To investigate the relationship between the quality and quantity of participants’ mindfulness practice during the course of a standard eight-week mindfulness intervention and the effectiveness of the course intervention.Forty-two subjects were recruited for the study,multiple measurements were used to obtain the quality of the individual’s weekly mindfulness practice during the MBCT course,the practice platform was used to accurately record participants’ dosage of mindfulness practice.In this study,the indicators of the quality of mindfulness practice were the mean value of the quality and the rate of change of the quality;the indicators of the dose of mindfulness practice were the time of practice per week and the frequency of practice per week.The results showed that:(1)the quality of the participants’ mindfulness practice during the eight-week course tended to increase gradually;(2)The quality of mindfulness practice during the course predicted changes in positive trait and stress before and after the course.The rate of change in the quality of the mindfulness practice significantly predicted changes in trait mindfulness and stress before and after the course,i.e.,individuals with a greater rate of change in the quality of the mindfulness practice during the eight-week course showed a greater decrease in stress and an increase in trait mindfulness;(3)The dosage of the mindfulness practice during the course predicted the change in trait mindfulness and stress before and after the course.The frequency of mindfulness practice during the eight-week course significantly predicted changes in stress and trait mindfulness before and after the course,i.e.,individuals who practiced mindfulness more frequently during the course showed greater reductions in stress and increases in trait mindfulness.The duration of mindfulness practice during the eight-week course significantly predicted changes in trait mindfulness before and after the course,i.e.,individuals who spend more time practicing mindfulness during the course show more elevation of the trait mindfulness.The main findings of this study are as follows.(1)Interview data from experts in the practice and teaching of mindfulness revealed that the terms "relationship to experience," "awareness," "attention," and difficulties in practice" as a description of the quality of the practice.(2)The resulting quality assessment questionnaire has good reliability and can be used to assess the quality of mindfulness practice.(3)The rate of change in the quality of mindfulness practice during the eightweek course significantly predicted the change in stress and change in trait mindfulness before and after the course;the dosage of mindfulness practice(frequency of mindfulness practice per week)during the eight-week course significantly predicted the change in stress and the change in trait mindfulness before and after the course;the dosage of mindfulness practice(duration of mindfulness practice per week)during the eight-week course significantly predicted the change in trait mindfulness before and after the course.