Mindfulness and Relaxation Interventions Reduce Depression, Negative Affect and Stress in Widow(er)s

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mind-Body Interventions

Background:

• Grief is a significant stressor impacting psychological well-being.
• Mind-body interventions like Mindfulness Training (MT) and Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) show potential in mitigating grief's negative effects.
• Existing research highlights the need to explore specific outcomes for these interventions in grieving populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of MT and PMR on secondary psychological outcomes in widow(er)s.
• To compare the efficacy of MT, PMR, and a wait-list control group on depressive symptoms, affect, stress, mindfulness, coping flexibility, sleep quality, life satisfaction, and loneliness.

Main Methods:

• Ninety-four widow(er)s were randomly assigned to a 6-week group MT, group PMR, or wait-list condition.
• Participants were older, predominantly White women who had been widowed for over a year.
• Standardized measures assessed depressive symptoms, stress, affect, mindfulness, coping flexibility, sleep quality, life satisfaction, and loneliness at baseline, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Both MT and PMR significantly reduced depressive symptoms and negative affect compared to the wait-list group post-intervention.
• MT demonstrated a greater reduction in perceived stress from baseline to 1-month follow-up compared to the wait-list.
• No significant differences were found for mindfulness, coping flexibility, sleep quality, life satisfaction, or loneliness between conditions.

Conclusions:

• MT and PMR interventions offer psychological benefits for widow(er)s experiencing grief.
• PMR may be more effective than MT in improving a wider range of grief-relevant outcomes, based on prior research.
• Further research is warranted to explore the differential effects and long-term impacts of these interventions on diverse grief outcomes.