East Carolina University : Research and Creative Achievement Week 2012
Examination of Psychological Change After a One Week Mindfulness Meditation Intervention, Anne Corinne Carroll, Kristen Williams, Rebekah Evans, Layton Reesor & Christyn Dolbier, PhD Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Background: Mindfulness meditation (MM) is the process of becoming aware of thoughts, feelings or sensations that arise and refraining from judging those feelings, thoughts, or sensations. Research on the standard 8-week MM intervention has shown that it leads to decreases in emotional distress and increases in positive states of mind. Therefore, MM is a technique that can help facilitate more adaptive responses to stressful situations, resulting in reduction of negative effects of stress. Shorter-term MM practice (i.e., 4 weeks) has been shown to result in similar beneficial psychological changes. It is unknown exactly when these beneficial changes start to occur. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether one week of daily 20-minute MM practice will be effective in reducing negative and enhancing positive psychological states. The one week time period will help narrow down the window in which these changes towards a positive psychological state begin. Methods: This study uses a single-group experimental design with a sample of college students. Participants are enrolled in Introductory Psychology courses and recruited through the Psychology Department participant pool. Inclusion criteria are: aged 18-25, English as primary language, no current psychological or physical illness, not currently practicing any stress management technique, not working the nightshift, and interest in integrating a daily stress management technique into their lives. Participants attend two similar lab sessions spaced one week apart, which consist of listening to a MM CD for 20 minutes and completing surveys before and after the MM practice. For each day in the week interval between lab sessions, participants will follow the MM CD for 20 minutes. Participants are compensated with credit toward course work and $30 in gift cards. Hypotheses: We hypothesize that participants will report less negative affect, stress, and anxiety and greater positive affect, relaxation, and mindfulness after the lab 20-minute MM practice compared to baseline, and that the magnitude of these changes will be greater during the second lab session compared to the first. We also hypothesize that following the one week intervention participants will demonstrate decreases in perceived stress and anxiety and increases in positive well-being and dispositional mindfulness.
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