Self-administered mindfulness interventions reduce stress in a large, randomized controlled multi-site study.

Mindfulness witnessed a substantial popularity surge in the past decade, especially as digitally self-administered interventions became available at relatively low costs. Yet, it is uncertain whether they effectively help reduce stress. In a preregistered (OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UF4JZ ; retrospective registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06308744 ) multi-site study (nsites = 37, nparticipants = 2,239, 70.4% women, Mage = 22.4, s.d.age = 10.1, all fluent English speakers), we experimentally tested whether four single, standalone mindfulness exercises effectively reduced stress, using Bayesian mixed-effects models. All exercises proved to be more efficacious than the active control. We observed a mean difference of 0.27 (d = -0.56; 95% confidence interval, -0.43 to -0.69) between the control condition (M = 1.95, s.d. = 0.50) and the condition with the largest stress reduction (body scan: M = 1.68, s.d. = 0.46). Our findings suggest that mindfulness may be beneficial for reducing self-reported short-term stress for English speakers from higher-income countries.

Applying best practices for health disparities work to create a treatment adaptation framework for culturally diverse communities: A mixed-methods approach.

OBJECTIVE: Integrating best practices for health disparities to adapt evidence-based treatments is imperative to adequately meet the needs of diverse cultures, particularly ones that therapists can apply flexibility across multiple diverse communities. METHOD: Using a mixed-methods, community-engaged approach, we examined how a range of community participants (N = 169) defined mental health, perceived barriers to treatment, and used culturally based coping methods to manage their mental health. Phase 1 (n = 49) included qualitative focus group data from five distinct racial/ethnic communities (African immigrants/refugees, Black/African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians). Phase 2 included quantitative surveys from members of four of these communities (n = 59) and the frontline providers serving them (n = 61). RESULTS: The communities and providers highlighted chronic worry and distress related to daily activities as primary treatment concerns. Further, this mixed-methods data informed our proposed best practice treatment adaptation framework using chronic worry as an example. CONCLUSION: The main aims of this study were to exemplify best practices for addressing mental health inequities in communities of color in terms of (a) conducting health disparities research and (b) applying a treatment adaptation framework for culturally responsive clinical care. Specific features of how this framework was conceived and applied provide a unique and critical view into integrating best practices to address health disparities in diverse communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceived social support and ambulatory blood pressure during daily life: a meta-analysis.

Perceived social support has been linked to lower rates of morbidity and mortality. However, more information is needed on the biological mechanisms potentially responsible for such links. The main aim of this paper was to conduct a meta-analytic review of the association between perceived social support and awake ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) which is linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The review identified 12 studies with a total of 3254 participants. The omnibus meta-analysis showed that higher perceived social support was not significantly related to lower ABP (Zr = -0.052, [ -0.11, 0.01]). In addition, there was evidence of significant bias across several indicators. Future research will be needed to explore the boundary conditions linking social support to ABP and its implications for theoretical models and intervention development.