Intervention-induced changes in state mindfulness do not predict trait changes in mindfulness, self-compassion, or...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Intervention Science

Background:

• State mindfulness is a key mechanism in mindfulness-based interventions for enhancing trait mindfulness and reducing stress.
• Socioemotional Competence Training (SECT) may foster mindfulness, but its impact on trait mindfulness without explicit labeling is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine state mindfulness trajectories in an 8-week SECT without explicit mindfulness labeling.
• To investigate the association between state mindfulness and trait mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress.
• To determine if changes in state mindfulness predict changes in trait indicators.

Main Methods:

• 166 healthy German adults participated in an 8-week SECT.
• State mindfulness was assessed weekly.
• Trait mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress were assessed pre, during, and post-intervention.
• Second-order latent growth models were used for analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant pre-post improvements were observed in state mindfulness, trait mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress (d = |0.38| to |0.62|).
• Increases in state mindfulness during the SECT did not predict changes in trait mindfulness or related outcomes.
• The SECT demonstrated effectiveness in improving psychological well-being indicators.

Conclusions:

• While SECT enhances state mindfulness, these increases alone do not appear sufficient to drive significant changes in trait mindfulness.
• Intervention framing, explicitly labeling mindfulness practices, might be essential for fostering explicit connections between state experiences and trait development.
• Findings contribute to understanding mindfulness as a change mechanism and highlight the importance of intervention design in psychological treatments.