The influence of rumination, distraction and mindfulness on cardiovascular recovery from stress

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2010
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Abstract
The central aims of the present study were to determine if mindfulness and distraction inductions would decrease rumination following a stressor and to investigate whether changes in post stressor rumination would influence cardiovascular recovery. Additional goals were to assess the influence of a brief mindfulness meditation intervention on rumination, mindfulness, depressed mood and symptoms of stress. Cardiovascular and psychological data was collected from 101 undergraduate students during two identical laboratory-testing sessions 5 weeks apart. Each testing session included a 5-minute baseline period, 5-minute stress task and a 15-minute recovery period. Participants were randomized to one of three conditions: mindfulness, distraction or control. During the recovery period, participants in the distraction condition received a distraction induction, those in the control condition received no induction and those in the mindfulness condition received a mindfulness induction. Participants in the mindfulness condition also received a 4-week mindfulness meditation intervention during the period between laboratory testing sessions while participants in the distraction and control conditions received no intervention. Results indicated that, at testing session two, participants in the mindfulness condition showed the greatest decreases in post stressor state rumination compared to the other conditions. The conditions did not differ on cardiovascular reactivity or recovery at either testing session. Mindfulness participants reported increases in trait mindfulness and decreases in depressed mood, following the brief mindfulness meditation intervention, compared to participants who did not receive the intervention. The brief mindfulness intervention was not associated with changes in trait rumination or symptoms of stress. The preliminary findings of the present study suggest the efficacy of a brief mindfulness meditation intervention for decreasing depressed mood, decreasing state rumination, in response to mental stress, and increasing mindfulness compared to a no-intervention control.
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Bibliography: p. 106-127
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Citation
Key, B. L. (2010). The influence of rumination, distraction and mindfulness on cardiovascular recovery from stress (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/3561
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