Beneficial Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training on the Well-Being of a Female Sample during the First Total Lockdown Due to COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

Alessandra Accoto, Salvatore Gaetano Chiarella, Antonino Raffone, Antonella Montano, Adriano de Marco, Francesco Mainiero, Roberta Rubbino, Alessandro Valzania and David Conversi
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Alessandra Accoto: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Salvatore Gaetano Chiarella: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Antonino Raffone: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Antonella Montano: A.T. Beck Institute, 00185 Rome, Italy
Adriano de Marco: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Francesco Mainiero: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Roberta Rubbino: A.T. Beck Institute, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Valzania: A.T. Beck Institute, 00185 Rome, Italy
David Conversi: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown have been widely recognized as traumatic events that pose threats to psychological well-being. Recent studies reported that during such traumatic events, women tend to be at greater risk than men for developing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Several studies reported that a mindfulness-based stress reduction protocol (MBSR) provides useful skills for dealing with traumatic events. In our study, a sample of Italian females received an 8-week MBSR course plus 6 weeks of video support for meditation practice during the first total lockdown in Italy. We assessed the participants with questionnaires before and after this period to investigate their mindfulness skills, psychological well-being, post-traumatic growth, and psychological flexibility. After the intervention, the meditators group reported improvement in measures associated with self-acceptance, purpose in life, and relation to others compared to the control group. Furthermore, our results showed that participants with greater mindfulness scores showed high levels of psychological flexibility, which in turn was positively associated with higher levels of psychological well-being. We concluded that the MBSR could support psychological well-being, at least in female subjects, even during an unpredictable adverse event, such as the COVID-19 lockdown, by reinforcing key psychological aspects.

Keywords: MBSR; mindfulness meditation; COVID-19; women’s mental health; well-being; self-reports; psychological flexibility; internet-based intervention; mediation analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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