Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Neuroticism (Stress Vulnerability): A Pilot Randomized Study☆
Section snippets
Current Study and Hypotheses
In summary, neuroticism is associated with elevated levels of cognitive processes such as rumination, which are linked to common mental health problems and lower levels of protective attributes such as mindfulness and self-compassion. Despite this, no interventions that focus on reducing neuroticism have been investigated, either through a specifically targeted intervention or by recruiting participants on the basis of their level of neuroticism. However, targeting these processes with a novel
Design
A pilot RCT was conducted, with participants (N = 34) randomized to an 8-week MBCT course (n = 17), or to an online self-help course (n = 17). Acceptability of the interventions was assessed through engagement, dropout, and rated usefulness of the interventions. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline (T1) and 4 weeks (T2) following the end of the interventions using online questionnaires. As this was a pilot acceptability and feasibility study designed to inform future research hypotheses, a
Internal Consistency of All Measures
The majority of measures displayed good internal consistency at Time 1: WSAS, α = .70; PHQ-9, α = .854; GAD-7, α = .86; FFMQ, α = .68; SCS, α = .70; BAES, α = .88; RRQ, α = .82; and EQ, α = 0.63. Cronbach’s alpha for the EPQR-S at Time 1 was .61, which may be explained by the fact that participants were selected based on high scores on this measure. Time 2 data indicate α = .86. Test–retest reliability analysis demonstrates a high correlation between the EPQR-S administered at screening and at Time 1, 2 weeks
Discussion
The MBCT group had lower levels of neuroticism than the control participants at 4 weeks posttreatment, after adjusting for baseline levels. This is consistent with previous research that has demonstrated decreases in neuroticism in depressed participants receiving SSRI treatment (Tang et al., 2009) or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (Berlim et al., 2013), and nonsignificant reductions in behavioral inhibition after psychological treatment in people with anxiety disorders (Carl et
Limitations
Limitations of the current study should be considered; as a pilot study, the small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings and statistical power. Most of the participants were women, White and either working or studying at a university, and as such represent a highly selective sample; it cannot be assumed that these results would generalize to other populations. Further, participants were staff and students at the same institution as the researchers. This might have resulted in
Conclusion
In conclusion, MBCT is a promising and acceptable intervention for individuals with high levels of neuroticism. Heeding calls to target the underlying cause of common mental disorders rather than just the associated symptomatology, the current study suggests that this type of intervention may be feasible and efficacious. Although the current study investigated MBCT as an intervention for reducing neuroticism, the findings also offer implications for the prevention of future clinical
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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Cited by (0)
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We are grateful to the participants for their help with this research and to Laura Green for her assistance with the mindfulness group. There was no source of funding for this study.