TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindfulness, stress, salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol in everyday life
AU - Aguilar-Raab, Corina
AU - Stoffel, Martin
AU - Hernández, Cristóbal
AU - Rahn, Stefanie
AU - Moessner, Markus
AU - Steinhilber, Barbara
AU - Ditzen, Beate
N1 - Funding Information:
The research was supported by the Ministry of Science, State of Baden‐Württemberg to the Medical Faculty Heidelberg. CAR was supported by the Olympia Morata habilitation program for women of the Heidelberg University
Funding Information:
The research was supported by the Ministry of Science, State of Baden-W?rttemberg to the Medical Faculty Heidelberg. CAR was supported by the Olympia Morata habilitation program for women of the Heidelberg University We are very grateful to Dr. Markus Haun, Gotje Trojan, Friederike Winter, and Cristina Bermeo for help with the data collection and Brigitte Seib for help with the analysis of the saliva samples. The manuscript is partially based on parts of the dissertation ?Psychobiologische Evaluation eines Stressbew?ltigungstrainings im Alltag? submitted in September 2019 by MS to the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, Germany, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor scientiarum humanarum (Dr. sc. hum). Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - A large body of literature has shown the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) on stress-reduction. However, little is known about their effects on psychobiological stress-markers in daily life through an ecological momentary assessment approach. Our study examines the effects of MBI on state mindfulness, perceived stress, and indicators of sympathetic-nervous-system (saliva alpha-amylase, sAA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis (saliva cortisol, sCort) activation in daily life. Twenty-eight individuals participated in a three-month MBI (IG) and were compared to 46 controls (CG). An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to assess mindfulness, stress, sAA and sCort at six measurements per day on two days each before and after the MBI. Multilevel-modeling was used to analyze the data on a moment-to-moment and averaged day-level. The IG showed decreased sAA levels (AUCg) from pre to post, while the CG showed increases. Furthermore, diurnal decreases in sCort (AUCi) were pronounced in the IG compared to the CG. On a momentary basis, mindfulness was associated with lower stress and sAA levels, but not sCort. As such, we show that MBI can reduce sympathetic and to a lesser extent hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation in daily life. Increased mindfulness can momentarily decrease stress and stress-related autonomic activation with implications for health. Our results emphasize the importance of brief interventions that can be easily integrated into everyday life.
AB - A large body of literature has shown the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) on stress-reduction. However, little is known about their effects on psychobiological stress-markers in daily life through an ecological momentary assessment approach. Our study examines the effects of MBI on state mindfulness, perceived stress, and indicators of sympathetic-nervous-system (saliva alpha-amylase, sAA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis (saliva cortisol, sCort) activation in daily life. Twenty-eight individuals participated in a three-month MBI (IG) and were compared to 46 controls (CG). An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to assess mindfulness, stress, sAA and sCort at six measurements per day on two days each before and after the MBI. Multilevel-modeling was used to analyze the data on a moment-to-moment and averaged day-level. The IG showed decreased sAA levels (AUCg) from pre to post, while the CG showed increases. Furthermore, diurnal decreases in sCort (AUCi) were pronounced in the IG compared to the CG. On a momentary basis, mindfulness was associated with lower stress and sAA levels, but not sCort. As such, we show that MBI can reduce sympathetic and to a lesser extent hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation in daily life. Increased mindfulness can momentarily decrease stress and stress-related autonomic activation with implications for health. Our results emphasize the importance of brief interventions that can be easily integrated into everyday life.
KW - alpha-amylase sAA
KW - cortisol sCort
KW - ecological momentary assessment EMA
KW - mindfulness
KW - multilevel-modeling
KW - stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85114898069&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/psyp.13937
DO - 10.1111/psyp.13937
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85114898069
SN - 0048-5772
VL - 58
JO - Psychophysiology
JF - Psychophysiology
IS - 12
M1 - e13937
ER -