Mindfulness Training inDane Hilton & Will Canu

Abstract

Mindfulness is a practice rooted in building awareness of self and the environment that has been associated with improvement in directed attention capacity and reduced stress, among other positive outcomes (). The executive functioning deficits that are central to As-U-R participants’ difficulties in school and other life pursuits are theoretically amenable via mindfulness. The current study highlights the process and pilot outcomes from a mindfulness training curriculum employed in As-U-R in the 2013-14 year.

Background Information

•Executive functions (EFs) are typically defined as the related yet distinct cognitive abilities of inhibition, updating of working memory, and set shifting (Baddeley, 1996), and are understood to be important in many aspects of daily human functioning.

•Deficits in EF are found in a number of common disorders such as ADHD, Specific Learning Disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, in addition to being present in individuals with no identifiable psychological disorder (Seidman, 2006; Seidman et al., 2001; Ozonoff et al., 1994).

•Mindfulness meditation is a particular kind of meditative approach that emphasizes observant and non-judgmental awareness of an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and physical state (Zylowska et al., 2008), and has recently garnered attention as a mental training tool to regulate attention and brain function (Bishop et al., 2004).

•The purpose of the current poster is to examine the effects of an 8-week mindfulness meditation program on three college students enrolled in the Appalachian State University As-U-R program.

Measures

•Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS; Barkley, 2013): A self-report measure tapping several aspects of executive functioning

•Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995): A self-report survey tapping clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress

•Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Digit Span (WAIS-IV-DS; Wechsler, 2008): A standardized task tapping working memory, a core executive cognitive ability.

•Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS; WHO, 2002): A self-report measure tapping core symptoms of ADHD.

•Satisfaction with Treatment Scale (Hilton, 2013): 5-item measure tapping satisfaction with the intervention.

Procedure

•Participants completed pre-intervention measures 1 week prior to session 1. All sessions were completed in the late afternoon during scheduled seminar time, weekly (exceptions for school holidays, instructor conflicts). See Table 1 for session content.

•Participant 1 (Fall 2013) completed the mindfulness intervention in a 1:1 format; Participants 2 and 3 (Spring 2014) participated in a group format with 4 other individuals.

•Training was led by a 2nd year clinical psychology graduate student, supervised by a licensed psychologist (1st, 2nd authors).

Table 1

Results and Discussion

•Positive change in aspects of executive functioning and adjustment were noted, yet the extent varied across participants and could be described as modest in sum. See Table 2 for a selected summary of quantitative data.

•Participants uniformly endorsed high satisfaction with the training. See Table 2 for satisfaction data and qualitative feedback and trainer observations.

•Differences in training efficacy in addressing EF deficits may be due to several factors, including diagnostic status, individual versus group training formats, biological sex of participant, and situational circumstances (e.g., timing of exams, major papers).

•Mindfulness training for the 2014-15 year will follow a similar format to that described here. Data will continue to be collected such that a better analysis of efficacy and factors therein can be completed.

Participants

• 4 students receiving services through As-U-R (1 Fall 2013, 3 2014) participated in the piloting of mindfulness training as a component of the As-U-R student seminar.

• Data presented herein is from 3 students (1 F, 2 M) who completed the entire 8-session mindfulness protocol.

• Participants were of mixed diagnostic status but all had established and current EF deficits.

Table 2

For more information contact Dr. Canu at canuwh@appstate.edu.