Beyond fight or flight: The protective role of pre-pandemic meditation practice against anxiety and perceived stress.
COVID‐19
anxiety symptoms
compassion
linear mixed models
meditation
perceived stress
Journal
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
ISSN: 1532-2998
Titre abrégé: Stress Health
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101089166
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
02 Jul 2024
02 Jul 2024
Historique:
revised:
14
06
2024
received:
28
07
2023
accepted:
22
06
2024
medline:
2
7
2024
pubmed:
2
7
2024
entrez:
2
7
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
The COVID-19 pandemic generated distinct mental health challenges, characterised by stress and anxiety due to its unpredictable duration and continuous threat. This study examined the role of meditation practice on anxiety symptoms and perceived stress, considering co-variables such as self-compassion, acceptance, awareness, brooding, lockdown duration, and sociodemographic characteristics. The study used a longitudinal design and data were collected through online surveys from April 2020 to January 2021 (at four different time points) and included 238 participants from Portugal (165 had prior experience with meditation practices, 73 were non-meditators) with a mean age of 43.08 years (SD = 10.96). Linear mixed models revealed that over time, during the lockdown, the non-meditators group demonstrated a greater increase of anxiety symptoms (β = -0.226, SE = 0.06, p = 0.006) and perceived stress (β = -0.20, SE = 0.06, p = 0.004), whereas the meditators group showed non-significant (p > 0.05) variations in anxiety and stress symptoms during the same period of time. The effect of meditation on anxiety symptoms was moderated by sex, days of lockdown, self-compassion, and acceptance. The effect of meditation on perceived stress was moderated by sex, years of education, days of lockdown, and levels of awareness. Additionally, the study explored the potential predictive effect of different meditation session lengths, indicating that longer meditation practices offered greater protection against an increase in anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of cultivating self-regulation skills and investing in preventive mental health strategies to promote well-being and autonomy. Mental health professionals should prioritise educating communities on evidence-based practices like meditation and compassion exercises to enhance overall health.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
e3440Subventions
Organisme : Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Informations de copyright
© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Références
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749‐5978(91)90020‐T
Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(4), 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195
Cardaciotto, L., Herbert, J. D., Forman, E. M., Moitra, E., & Farrow, V. (2008). The assessment of present‐moment awareness and acceptance: The Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale. Assessment, 15(2), 204–223. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191107311467
Chu, H., & Liu, S. (2021). Integrating health behavior theories to predict American’s intention to receive a COVID‐19 vaccine. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(8), 1878–1886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.02.031
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mindfulness interventions. Annual Review of Psychology, 68(1), 491–516. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev‐psych‐042716‐051139
Cullen, W., Gulati, G., & Kelly, B. D. (2020). Mental health in the COVID‐19 pandemic. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, 113(5), 311–312. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa110
Curtis, A. F., Rodgers, M., Miller, M. B., & McCrae, C. S. (2022). Impact of sex on COVID‐19 media exposure, anxiety, perceived risk, and severity in middle‐aged and older adults. Journal of Aging and Health, 34(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643211025383
Daniali, H., Martinussen, M., & Flaten, M. A. (2023). A global meta‐analysis of depression, anxiety, and stress before and during COVID‐19. Health Psychology, 42(2), 124–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001259
Derogatis, L. R. (2001). BSI 18 – brief symptom inventory 18: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual. NCS Pearson, Incorporated.
Dinis, A., Gouveia, J. P., Duarte, C., & Castro, T. (2011). Estudo de validação da versão portuguesa da Escala de Respostas Ruminativas: versão reduzida. Psychologica, 54, 175–201. https://doi.org/10.14195/1647‐8606_54_7
Egan, S. J., Rees, C. S., Delalande, J., Greene, D., Fitzallen, G., Brown, S., Webb, M., & Finlay‐Jones, A. (2022). A review of self‐compassion as an active ingredient in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression in young people. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 49(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488‐021‐01170‐2
Faustino, B., Vasco, A. B., Silva, A. N., & Marques, T. (2020). Relationships between emotional schemas, mindfulness, self‐compassion and unconditional self‐acceptance on the regulation of psychological needs. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process, and Outcome, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.442
Field, A., Miles, J., & Filed, Z. (2012). Discovering statistics using R (1st ed.). Sage.
Galante, J., Grabovac, A., Wright, M., Ingram, D. M., Van Dam, N. T., Sanguinetti, J. L., Sparby, T., van Lutterveld, R., & Sacchet, M. D. (2023). A framework for the empirical investigation of mindfulness meditative development. Mindfulness, 14(5), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671‐023‐02113‐8
Gilbert, P. (2020). Compassion: From its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3123. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161
Gilbert, P. (2022). Affiliative and prosocial motives and emotions in mental health. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 17(4), 381–389. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/pgilbert
Gilbert, P., Catarino, F., Duarte, C., Matos, M., Kolts, R., Stubbs, J., Ceresatto, L., Duarte, J., Pinto‐Gouveia, J., & Basran, J. (2017). The development of compassionate engagement and action scales for self and others. Journal of Compassionate Health Care, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40639‐017‐0033‐3
Gilbert, P., Huxter, M., & Choden (2023). Exploration of evolution‐informed compassion‐focused therapy and Buddhist approaches to insight meditation: A three‐way exploration. Mindfulness, 15(5), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671‐023‐02141‐4
González‐Sanguino, C., Ausín, B., Castellanos, M. Á., Saiz, J., López‐Gómez, A., Ugidos, C., & Muñoz, M. (2020). Mental health consequences during the initial stage of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic (COVID‐19) in Spain. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 172–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.040
Grogans, S. E., Bliss‐Moreau, E., Buss, K. A., Clark, L. A., Fox, A. S., Keltner, D., Cowen, A. S., Kim, J. J., Kragel, P. A., MacLeod, C., Mobbs, D., Naragon‐Gainey, K., Fullana, M. A., & Shackman, A. J. (2023). The nature and neurobiology of fear and anxiety: State of the science and opportunities for accelerating discovery. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 151, 105237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105237
Guendelman, S., Medeiros, S., & Rampes, H. (2017). Mindfulness and emotion regulation: Insights from neurobiological, psychological, and clinical studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(220). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00220
Kabat‐Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delta.
Kemeny, M. E. (2003). The psychobiology of stress. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467‐8721.01246
Kovács, L. N., Baksa, D., Dobos, D., Eszlári, N., Gecse, K., Kocsel, N., Juhász, G., Kökönyei, G., & Kökönyei, G. (2021). Perceived stress in the time of COVID‐19: The association with brooding and COVID‐related rumination in adults with and without migraine. BMC psychology, 9(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359‐021‐00549‐y
Krumm, S., Checchia, C., Koesters, M., Kilian, R., & Becker, T. (2017). Men's views on depression: A systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative research. Psychopathology, 50(2), 107–124. https://doi.org/10.1159/000455256
Kwon, M., Lawn, S., & Kaine, C. (2023). Understanding men’s engagement and disengagement when seeking support for mental health. American Journal of Men's Health, 17(2), 155798832311579. https://doi.org/10.1177/155798832311579
Lakhan, R., Agrawal, A., & Sharma, M. (2020). Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress during COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, 11(04), 519–525. https://doi.org/10.1055/s‐0040‐1716442
Little, T. D. (2013). Longitudinal structural equation modelling. Guilford Press.
Lüdecke, D. (2022). sjstats: Statistical functions for regression models (version 0.18.2) [computer software]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1284472
Maddock, A., & Blair, C. (2021). How do mindfulness‐based programmes improve anxiety, depression and psychological distress? A systematic review. Current Psychology, 42(12), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144‐021‐02082‐y
Mamede, A., Merkelbach, I., Noordzij, G., & Denktas, S. (2022). Mindfulness as a protective factor against depression, anxiety and psychological distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Emotion regulation and insomnia symptoms as mediators. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 820959. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.820959
Matko, K., Ott, U., & Sedlmeier, P. (2021). What do meditators do when they meditate? Proposing a novel basis for future meditation research. Mindfulness, 12(7), 1791–1811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671‐021‐01641‐5
Matko, K., & Sedlmeier, P. (2019). What is meditation? Proposing an empirically derived classification system. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2276. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02276
Metin, A., Erbiçer, E. S., Şen, S., & Çetinkaya, A. (2022). Gender and COVID‐19 related fear and anxiety: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 310, 384–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.036
Michl, L. C., McLaughlin, K. A., Shepherd, K., & Nolen‐Hoeksema, S. (2013). Rumination as a mechanism linking stressful life events to symptoms of depression and anxiety: Longitudinal evidence in early adolescents and adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122(2), 339–352. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031994
Miola, A., Caiolo, S., Pontoni, G., Pozzan, E., Moriglia, C., Simionato, F., Garofalo, S., Perini, G., & Sambataro, F. (2023). Anxiety and depression during the second wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic: The role of coping strategies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 2974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042974
Mukherjee, S., & Pahan, K. (2021). Is COVID‐19 gender‐sensitive? Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, 16(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481‐020‐09974‐z
Nazaré, B., Pereira, M., & Canavarro, M. C. (2017). Avaliação breve da psicossintomatologia: Análise fatorial confirmatória da versão portuguesa do Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI 18). Análise Psicológica, 35(2), 213–230. https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.1287
Noar, S. M., & Zimmerman, R. S. (2005). Health behavior theory and cumulative knowledge regarding health behaviors: Are we moving in the right direction? Health Education Research, 20(3), 275–290. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg113
Nolen‐Hoeksema, S. (2000). The role of rumination in depressive disorders and mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(3), 504–511. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021‐843X.109.3.504
O'Connor, D. B., Thayer, J. F., & Vedhara, K. (2021). Stress and health: A review of psychobiological processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 72(1), 663–688. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev‐psych‐062520‐122331
Parsons, C. E., Crane, C., Parsons, L. J., Fjorback, L. O., & Kuyken, W. (2017). Home practice in mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy and mindfulness‐based stress reduction: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of participants’ mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 95, 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.05.004
Pfefferbaum, B., & North, C. S. (2020). Mental health and the Covid‐19 pandemic. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(6), 510–512. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2008017
Porges, S. W. (2020). The COVID‐19 pandemic is a paradoxical challenge to our nervous system: A polyvagal perspective. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(2), 135. https://doi.org/10.36131/CN20200220
Porges, S. W. (2021). Polyvagal theory: A biobehavioral journey to sociality. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 7, 100069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100069
Querstret, D., Morison, L., Dickinson, S., Cropley, M., & John, M. (2020). Mindfulness‐based stress reduction and mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for psychological health and well‐being in nonclinical samples: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal of Stress Management, 27(4), 394–411. https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000165
Raghupathi, V., & Raghupathi, W. (2020). The influence of education on health: An empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015. Archives of Public Health, 78(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690‐020‐00402‐5
Rodríguez, S., Valle, A., Piñeiro, I., González‐Suárez, R., Díaz, F. M., & Vieites, T. (2021). COVID‐19 lockdown: Key factors in citizens’ stress. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 666891. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.666891
Salari, N., Hosseinian‐Far, A., Jalali, R., Vaisi‐Raygani, A., Rasoulpoor, S., Mohammadi, M., Khaledi‐Paveh, B., & Khaledi‐Paveh, B. (2020). Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Globalization and Health, 16(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992‐020‐00589‐w
Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. D. (2005). Stress and health: Psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 607–628. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144141
Sparby, T., & Sacchet, M. D. (2022). Defining meditation: Foundations for an activity‐based phenomenological classification system. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 6517. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.795077
Stapleton, P., Dispenza, J., McGill, S., Sabot, D., Peach, M., & Raynor, D. (2020). Large effects of brief meditation intervention on EEG spectra in meditation novices. IBRO Reports, 9, 290–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibror.2020.10.006
Strine, T. W., Mokdad, A. H., Balluz, L. S., Gonzalez, O., Crider, R., Berry, J. T., & Kroenke, K. (2008). Depression and anxiety in the United States: Findings from the 2006 behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Psychiatric Services, 59(12), 1383–1390. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2008.59.12.1383
Strohmaier, S., Jones, F. W., & Cane, J. E. (2021). Effects of length of mindfulness practice on mindfulness, depression, anxiety, and stress: A randomized controlled experiment. Mindfulness, 12(1), 198–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671‐020‐01512‐5
Taylor, S. (2022). The psychology of pandemics. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 18(1), 581–609. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev‐clinpsy‐072720‐020131
Teixeira, R. J., Ferreira, G., & Pereira, M. G. (2017). Portuguese validation of the cognitive and affective mindfulness scale‐revised and the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale. Mindfulness & Compassion, 2(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mincom.2017.03.001
Thoits, P. A. (2010). Stress and health: Major findings and policy implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(1_suppl), S41–S53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510383499
Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., & Nolen‐Hoeksema, S. (2003). Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27(3), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561
Trigo, M., Canudo, N., Branco, F., & Silva, D. (2010). Estudo das propriedades psicométricas da Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) na população portuguesa. Psychologica(53), 353–378. https://doi.org/10.14195/1647‐8606_53_1
Van Vugt, M. K. (2015). Cognitive benefits of mindfulness meditation. In F. Didonna (Ed.), Handbook of mindfulness: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 190–207). The Guilford Press.
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., McIntyre, R. S., Choo, F. N., Tran, B., Sharma, V. K., & Ho, C. (2020). A longitudinal study on the mental health of general population during the COVID‐19 epidemic in China. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.028
Witarto, B. S., Visuddho, V., Witarto, A. P., Bestari, D., Sawitri, B., Melapi, T. A. S., & Wungu, C. D. K. (2022). Effectiveness of online mindfulness‐based interventions in improving mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One, 17(9), e0274177. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274177
World Health Organization. (2023). WHO Director‐General's opening remarks at the media briefing. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news‐room/speeches/item/who‐director‐general‐s‐opening‐remarks‐at‐the‐media‐briefing‐‐‐5‐may‐2023
Wright, K. B. (2005). Researching Internet‐based populations: Advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 10(3), 00. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083‐6101.2005.tb00259.x
Zheng, Y., Yan, L., Chen, Y., Zhang, X., Sun, W., Lv, J., Zhou, J., Gu, X., Zhao, X., Luo, W., Lang, Y., Wang, Z., Gao, C., Jiang, Y., Li, R., Deng, Y., & Zeng, X. (2023). Effects of loving‐kindness and compassion meditation on anxiety: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Mindfulness, 14(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671‐023‐02121‐8