Effects of mindfulness on psychological health:

A review of empirical studies

Shian-LingKengaMoria J.SmoskibClive J.Robinsab

Abstract:
Within the past few periods of year, there has been a surge of interest in the investigation of mindfulness
as a psychological construct and as a form of clinical intervention. This article reviews the empirical
literature on the effects of mindfulness on psychological health. We conclude that mindfulness about
various positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being and reduced
psychological symptoms.
Relationship between trait mindfulness and psychological health
 There are researches; of mindfulness to date have reported on correlations between self-reported
mindfulness and psychological health. Such correlations have been reported for samples of
undergraduate students, (e.g., Baer et al., 2006, Brown and Ryan, 2003) community adults and
clinical populations (e.g., Baer et al., 2004, Chadwick et al., 2008, Walach et al., 2006). Before
going over these findings, it may be helpful to review questionnaires that assess mindfulness.
Controlled studies of mindfulness-oriented interventions
 MBSR, MBCT, DBT, and ACT are some of the mindfulness-oriented interventions that have
received much research attention. Some research on these interventions has been uncontrolled,
and some have focused primarily on physical health outcomes. We limit our review to published,
peer-reviewed trials that assessed psychological health outcomes in adult populations.
Laboratory research on immediate effects of mindfulness interventions
 Recent research has examined the immediate effects of brief mindfulness interventions on a
variety of emotion-related processes, including recovery from dysphoric mood and reactivity to
aversive stimuli.
Mechanisms of effects of mindfulness interventions
 Mindfulness interventions have been shown to have a positive impact on psychological health.
Several psychological processes, some of which may overlap, have been proposed as potential
mediators of the beneficial effects of mindfulness interventions. Increases in mindful awareness,
including increases in consciousness, are thought to be associated with improved psychological
health and well-being.
Understanding and quantification of mindfulness
 Mindfulness is a construct that originates in Buddhism, and has only a brief history in Western
psychological science. Although a number of self-report inventories have been developed to
assess mindfulness, they vary greatly in content and factor structure. This reflects a lack of
agreement on the meaning and nature of mindfulness.