Considerations for mood and emotion measures in mindfulness-based intervention research

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mindfulness Research

Background:

• Extensive research investigates Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs), including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.
• These interventions are applied in mental health settings and general populations to influence emotion-related outcomes.
• Current MBI research exhibits considerable variability in measuring emotion-related outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review randomized clinical trials of MBIs.
• To identify emotion-related outcome measures capable of detecting changes post-MBI.
• To discuss considerations for outcome measurement in MBI research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of MBIs.
• Focused on identifying emotion-related assays (scales and instruments).
• Included both self-report and clinician-rated measures for constructs like depression, anxiety, and emotion regulation.

Main Results:

• Identified various scales and instruments used to measure emotion-related outcomes in MBI studies.
• Highlighted the diversity in measurement approaches across MBI research.
• Found that specific assays can detect changes in mood states, depression, anxiety, and emotion regulation.

Conclusions:

• The effectiveness of MBIs on emotion-related outcomes is supported by a growing body of evidence.
• Standardized and validated outcome measures are crucial for robust MBI research.
• Established clinical trial practices for emotion-related outcomes can inform MBI study design.