Een hogere score op Trait Mindfulness houdt verband met een beter welzijn. Psychologische flexibiliteit houdt ook een verband met een beter welzijn en met minder angst. Echter is niet bekend of een...Show moreEen hogere score op Trait Mindfulness houdt verband met een beter welzijn. Psychologische flexibiliteit houdt ook een verband met een beter welzijn en met minder angst. Echter is niet bekend of een hogere score op Trait Mindfulness ook een hogere score oplevert op psychologische flexibiliteit. Omdat studenten in de COVID- 19 tijd veel geïsoleerd hebben gezeten en veel angst hebben kunnen ontwikkelen, is het belangrijk dat naar een oplossing wordt gezocht om deze angst te verminderen. Het huidige onderzoek is een cross-sectioneel vragenlijstonderzoek en zal niet de oplossing geven, maar wel bijdragen aan de kennis wat tot een oplossing kan leiden. In dit onderzoek werd de relatie tussen Trait Mindfulness met flexibiliteit en angst voor negatieve evaluatie onderzocht. Aan dit onderzoek hebben 161 participanten, studerend aan het HBO of de Universiteit, meegedaan. Hogere scores op Trait Mindfulness hingen samen met hogere scores op flexibiliteit (r = -.76, p < .001), waarvan alle facetten van Trait Mindfulness, behalve ‘observeren’ significante voorspellers waren (F(4,156) = 125.17, p < .001, R2 = 0.762) en lagere scores op angst voor negatieve evaluatie (r = -.44, p < .001), waarvan de Trait Mindfulness- facetten ‘niet-oordelen’ en ‘non-reactief zijn’ significante voorspellers waren (F(2,158) = 36.30, p < .001, R2 = 0.315). Dit onderzoek toont aan dat Trait Mindfulness significant verband houdt met meer psychologische flexibiliteit en minder angst voor negatieve evaluatie. Met vervolgonderzoek kunnen er trainingen worden ontwikkeld om Trait Mindfulness onder studenten te verbeteren en hiermee ook psychologische flexibiliteit te verbeter en hiermee samen angst te verminderen.Show less
The two most common types of mindfulness are open monitoring (OM) meditation, describing the awareness of internal and external states, and focused attention (FA) meditation, when one fixates on a...Show moreThe two most common types of mindfulness are open monitoring (OM) meditation, describing the awareness of internal and external states, and focused attention (FA) meditation, when one fixates on a single stimulus while avoiding distractions. The effects of mindfulness have been well explored and show many beneficial effects. Theta oscillations, associated with learning and memory, increase during OM meditation. Mindfulness is also positively correlated with the trait novelty seeking, as well as openness to experience (OTE). In previous studies, these three variables have been found to interact. The influence of mindfulness on exploratory behaviour has not yet been explored, and research suggests that mindfulness may increase such behaviour. A sample of 39 participants took part in the current study, which was conducted over two consecutive days. Participants received a brief mindfulness intervention on day one or two, after which they explored either a familiar or novel virtual environment. Electroencephalogram (EEG) measures were recorded throughout. Theta power was found to be higher during the OM meditation compared to the control condition, eyes open at rest, suggesting that the current mindfulness intervention was successful in eliciting a mindfulness state by altering the levels of theta power in the brain. Regarding exploratory behaviour, no significant difference was found between those who experienced the meditation and those who did not. Additionally, no difference was found in terms of exploratory behaviour between those in the novel or familiar environment, after receiving the mindfulness intervention. Some reasons for this may be the nature of the mindfulness intervention being brief or not targeted enough at novelty. Further research avenues include exploring additional brain rhythm fluctuations during OM meditation, the influence of different experience levels with mindfulness on different behaviours, as well as whether age affects the influence mindfulness has on exploration behaviour and novelty.Show less
The present study investigated the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on anxiety, mindfulness and worry compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU), and examined whether worry mediates...Show moreThe present study investigated the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on anxiety, mindfulness and worry compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU), and examined whether worry mediates the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety in 103 adults with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders. Within a RCT, participants were randomised to receive either MBCT or TAU over 8 weeks. Subjects completed online questionnaires assessing demographics, mindfulness (Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI, Fear Questionnaire; FQ) at baseline, midterm, post-test and follow-up. The aims were investigated using baseline and post-test data for analysis. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that MBCT significantly reduced worry and anxiety measured by the FQ, increased mindfulness, and that it was more effective in reaching these outcomes than TAU. Scores on anxiety measured by the BAI also improved significantly, however, results indicated no difference between groups. Mediation analyses identified a mediating role of worry between mindfulness and anxiety if anxiety was measured by the FQ, but not if it was measured by the BAI. These results demonstrate a superiority in treatment effectiveness of MBCT over TAU, next to establishing MBCT’s effectiveness for patients with anxiety disorders who did not respond to their first treatment. The mixed findings on anxiety suggest that mindfulness may be more relevant to symptoms of behavioural avoidance than to somatic symptoms of anxiety, emphasising a need for further investigation. The present results contribute meaningfully to available literature in the field, promoting treatment optimisation in the long-term.Show less
This thesis aims at transferring the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) to the university context, in order to examine processes of health, motivation and performance of higher education students....Show moreThis thesis aims at transferring the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) to the university context, in order to examine processes of health, motivation and performance of higher education students. Additionally, the role of mindfulness is looked at. Academic resources (autonomy, role clarity, feedback, relationship with supervisors and relationship with fellow students) and academic demands (role conflict, pace and amount of work and mental workload), student engagement, exhaustion and mindfulness were assessed, as well as performance with a time lag. The study follows a nonexperimental and cross-sectional design with a longitudinal element. Sixty-four students completed a first online questionnaire, 16 a second. Scales from the following questionnaires were utilized: Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work (QEEW), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale – student version (UWES-SS), Burn-out Assessment Tool (BAT), Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS-Short). Performance was operationalised as the number of ECTS-points obtained. Correlations, linear and multiple regression analyses, F-tests (ANOVA) and t-tests for coefficients were conducted with a significance level of p<.05 and a confidence interval of 95%. Role clarity predicted engagement (ß = .347, p = .013, Adjusted R2 = .215), pace and amount of work exhaustion (ß = .364, p = .003, Adjusted R2 = .119) (H1). Both role clarity (ß = .489, p = .001, Adjusted R2 = .201) (H2) and mindfulness (ß = .333, p = .005, Adjusted R2 = .335) (H5) moderated the effect of pace and amount of work on exhaustion. More mindfulness was related to higher role clarity (ß = .25, p = .034, Adjusted R2 = .047), feedback (ß = .371, p = .002, Adjusted R2 = .124), and relationship with supervisors (ß = .318, p = .018, Adjusted R2 = .087) (H3). Mindfulness positively related to engagement (ß = .315, p = .011, Adjusted R2 = .085) and negatively to exhaustion (ß = -.283, p = .024, Adjusted R2 = .065) (H4). Due to low participation rates, only correlations with performance were calculated. Relationship with fellow students correlated with performance (r(15) = .567, p = .027) (H6). The present study shows that the JD-R model is applicable to the university context. Mindfulness has direct and indirect beneficial effects on motivation and well-being of students. In order to promote study engagement and reduce exhaustion, universities should enhance role clarity and mindfulness of students, while seeking to lower pace and amount of work.Show less
Mindfulness as a therapeutic practice without the incorporation of its origin has been on the rise in recent decades. This results in the popularization of a practice that is removed from its...Show moreMindfulness as a therapeutic practice without the incorporation of its origin has been on the rise in recent decades. This results in the popularization of a practice that is removed from its original shapes found in Buddhism. Besides the popularization of mindfulness, the formation of Buddhist modernism has developed in the same places. This thesis aims to determine how these developments occurred and answer the question how the global popularization of mindfulness corresponds to the emergence of Buddhist modernism in the late 20th century. Using a historical approach, the influence of secularization and scientific rationalization on Buddhism and mindfulness have been analyzed. Reaching the conclusion that the popularization of mindfulness and emergence of Buddhist modernism are simultaneous developments influencing each other as a result of secularization and further detraditionalization and demystification of eastern traditions by western cultures. This research has been conducted by the help of a qualitative analysis of academic and popular literature from archives and public journals to enhance the knowledge and insight of contemporary mindfulness’ origins and the nature of Buddhist modernism today.Show less
