Can sensory and semantic priming enhance the effects of guided self-compassion meditation? A proof-of-concept study.

Introduction: Self-compassion is a fundamental aspect of psychological health and well-being that can be cultivated through self-compassion meditations, but it remains unclear how to facilitate this most effectively. This study is the first to explore whether sensory and semantic priming introduced prior to a guided self-compassion meditation could enhance the effects of meditation in comparison with a control condition.

Methods: The study was conducted with 3 × 3 repeated measures between-group design, including three groups (sensory priming, semantic priming and control group), and three assessment time points of state self-compassion, self-criticism, and positive and negative affect (at baseline, after priming, and after guided meditation).

Cost-Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program for Pregnant Women With Fear of Childbirth.

Objective: To examine the cost-effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) program compared with enhanced care as usual (ECAU).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Midwifery settings in the Netherlands, April 2014 to July 2017.

Self-Compassion and Anxiety in Adolescents with and without Anxiety Disorder.

Previous studies have linked self-compassion to mental health, specifically anxiety, in non-clinical adolescents, suggesting that self-compassion can be a protective factor against anxiety. This study compared the overall level of self-compassion and (un)compassionate self-responding in adolescents with and without an anxiety disorder and assessed the association between self-compassion and anxiety. This cross-sectional study included adolescents (12-19 years) with an anxiety disorder (N = 23) and a reference group (N = 28).

Examining an individualized, group-based social skills training using a mixed-methods design: A feasibility study.

Tailoring treatments to individual needs may be beneficial for treatment adherence and treatment effects. However, individualizing a group-based Social Skills Training (SST) may be complicated. Therefore, in this feasibility study, we examined outcomes after engagement in an individualized SST provided to 33 children aged 7-11 years ( = 9.

Mindful awareness as a mechanism of change for natural childbirth in pregnant women with high fear of childbirth: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) is effective in increasing natural childbirth in pregnant women with high fear of childbirth (FOC) as compared to enhanced care as usual (ECAU). We aimed to examine through which pathway of action MBCP reaches this effect, based on a model of approaching or avoiding the challenges related to childbirth.

Methods: One hundred eleven pregnant women with high FOC were measured pre- and post-intervention on FOC (emotion pathway), catastrophic beliefs about labour pain (cognition pathway) and mindful awareness (attention pathway).

Fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions, and newborn outcomes: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting with enhanced care as usual.

Objective: To investigate whether mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting (MBCP) or enhanced care as usual (ECAU) for expectant couples decreases fear of childbirth (FOC) and nonurgent obstetric interventions during labor and improves newborn outcomes.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Midwifery settings, the Netherlands, April 2014-July 2017.

Can a simple assessment of fear of childbirth in pregnant women predict requests and use of non-urgent obstetric interventions during labour?

Objective: To examine whether the Wijma Delivery Expectation Questionnaire (W-DEQ-A) and the one-item Fear of Childbirth-Postpartum-Visual Analogue Scale (FOCP-VAS) - measuring high FOC - are useful tools in predicting requested and received non-urgent obstetric interventions in pregnant women.

Design: A prospective cohort study.

Population And Setting: Self-selected pregnant women from midwifery care settings (n=401).

Brief Report: Mindfulness Training for Chinese Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents in Hong Kong.

This study investigated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a concurrent mindfulness program (MYmind) on Chinese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and their parents in Hong Kong, China using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group. Results showed the study had 80% compliance rate, 0% dropout rate, and 89% response rate. Between-group comparisons showed mindfulness had trend effects on parent's rumination (g = 1.

Mindful2Work the next steps: Effectiveness of a program combining physical exercise, yoga and mindfulness, adding a wait-list period, measurements up to one year later and qualitative interviews.

Background: Mindful2Work is a 6-week program combining physical activity, yoga and mindfulness meditations, targeting (work-related) stress complaints from a body-mind perspective.

Materials And Methods: We combined a top-down approach (researcher-driven outcome measures) with a bottom-up approach (personal goals and interview data) to investigate the effects on 98 employees with at least moderate (work-related) stress. Effects on personal goals, well-being (stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, affect, happiness), functioning at work (dropout, mental and physical workability, work satisfaction), and training-specific aspects (mindful awareness, self-compassion, emotion regulation strategies) were assessed.

Attention in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Program.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show atypical attention. Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs), with self-regulation of attention as a basic component, could benefit these children. We investigated how 49 children with ASD differed from 51 typically developing (TD) children in their attention systems; and whether their attention systems were improved by an MBP for children and their parents (MYmind), using a cognitive measure of attention, the Attention Network Test.

Mindfulness-Based Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents: Direct and Long-Term Improvements.

A combined mindfulness-based program for children and their parents (MYmind) was beneficial for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we investigated whether this program is also beneficial for younger children with ASD, whether effects last on the long-term, and whether it reduces common comorbid problems. Forty-five children referred with ASD aged 8 until 19 years old, and their parents participated.

Formal Thought Disorder and Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Old Leads and New Avenues.

Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a disruption in the flow of thought and a common feature in psychotic disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Executive dysfunction has often been associated with FTD, yet for ASD convincing evidence is lacking. This study investigated FTD and three core executive functions in 50 young children and adolescents with high-functioning ASD and 56 matched controls.

Mindful2Work: Effects of Combined Physical Exercise, Yoga, and Mindfulness Meditations for Stress Relieve in Employees. A Proof of Concept Study.

Work-related stress and associated illness and burnout is rising in western society, with now as much as almost a quarter of European and half of USA's employees estimated to be at the point of burnout. Mindfulness meditation, yoga, and physical exercise have all shown beneficial effects for work-related stress and illness. This proof of concept study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the newly developed Mindful2Work training, a combination of physical exercise, restorative yoga, and mindfulness meditations, delivered in six weekly group sessions plus a follow-up session.

'I've Changed My Mind', Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) for pregnant women with a high level of fear of childbirth and their partners: study protocol of the quasi-experimental controlled trial.

Background: Approximately 25 % of pregnant women suffer from a high level of Fear of Childbirth (FoC), as assessed by the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ-A, score ≥66). FoC negatively affects pregnant women's mental health and adaptation to the perinatal period. Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) seems to be potentially effective in decreasing pregnancy-related anxiety and stress.

The Association of Mindful Parenting with Glycemic Control and Quality of Life in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Results from Diabetes MILES-The Netherlands.

The objective of this study was to examine associations between the mindful parenting style of parents of adolescents (aged 12-18) with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and the glycaemic control and quality of life (QoL) of the adolescents. Chronic health conditions, such as T1DM, that require demanding treatment regimens, can negatively impact adolescents' quality of life. Therefore, it is important to determine whether mindful parenting may have a positive impact in these adolescents.

A RCT Comparing Daily Mindfulness Meditations, Biofeedback Exercises, and Daily Physical Exercise on Attention Control, Executive Functioning, Mindful Awareness, Self-Compassion, and Worrying in Stressed Young Adults.

Our Western society is characterized by multitasking, competition, and constant time pressure. Negative effects of stress for the individual (anxiety, depression, somatic complaints) and for organizations and society (costs due to work absence) are very high. Thus, time-efficient self-help interventions to address these issues are necessary.

Meditation or Medication? Mindfulness training versus medication in the treatment of childhood ADHD: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD) is, with a prevalence of 5 %, a highly common childhood disorder, and has severe impact on the lives of youngsters and their families. Medication is often the treatment of choice, as it currently is most effective. However, medication has only short-term effects, treatment adherence is often low and most importantly; medication has serious side effects.

Mindful Parenting Training in Child Psychiatric Settings: Heightened Parental Mindfulness Reduces Parents' and Children's Psychopathology.

Mindful parenting training is an application of mindfulness-based interventions that allows parents to perceive their children with unbiased and open attention without prejudgment and become more attentive and less reactive in their parenting. This study examined the effectiveness of mindful parenting training in a clinical setting on child and parental psychopathology and of mindfulness as a predictor of these outcomes. Seventy parents of 70 children (mean age = 8.

Physical activity, mindfulness meditation, or heart rate variability biofeedback for stress reduction: a randomized controlled trial.

In contemporary western societies stress is highly prevalent, therefore the need for stress-reducing methods is great. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of self-help physical activity (PA), mindfulness meditation (MM), and heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) in reducing stress and its related symptoms. We randomly allocated 126 participants to PA, MM, or HRV-BF upon enrollment, of whom 76 agreed to participate.

Mild dermatoglyphic deviations in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and average intellectual abilities as compared to typically developing boys.

Dermatoglyphics, ridge constellations on the hands and feet, are permanently formed by the second trimester of pregnancy. Consequently, they are considered "fossilized" evidence of a specific prenatal period. A high frequency of dermatoglyphic anomalies, or a high rate of dermatoglyphic asymmetry (discordance), is an indication of developmental instability (prenatal disturbances) prior to 24-week gestation.

MYmind: Mindfulness training for Youngsters with autism spectrum disorders and their parents.

Background: Despite the dramatic increase in autism spectrum disorder in youth and the extremely high costs, hardly any evidence-based interventions are available. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of mindfulness training for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, combined with Mindful Parenting training.

Method: A total of 23 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, referred to a mental health clinic, received nine weekly sessions of mindfulness training in group format.

Mindful Parenting Assessed Further: Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Version of the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P).

Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P) were studied in a general population sample of mothers of adolescents (=866) (study 1). A six-factor structure (29 items) emerged using exploratory factor analysis. A main difference from the original IM-P was that aspects of compassion and emotional awareness were separated into different factors for the self and the child, instead of combined into one factor.

Formal thought disorder in autism spectrum disorder predicts future symptom severity, but not psychosis prodrome.

Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a disruption in the flow of thought, which is inferred from disorganisation of spoken language. FTD in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) might be a precursor of psychotic disorders or a manifestation of ASD symptom severity. The current longitudinal study is a seven-year follow-up of 91 individuals aged 5-12 years with ASD.

Psychiatric Comorbidity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparison with Children with ADHD.

The present study was conducted with the aim to identify comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ( = 40) and to compare those comorbidity rates to those in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ( = 40). Participants were clinically referred children aged 7-18 years. DSM-IV classifications were used for the primary diagnosis (ASD/ADHD), while comorbid psychiatric disorders were assessed using a structured diagnostic interview, the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV, childhood diagnoses (KID-SCID).