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Objective: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to test the effects of an online, coached mindfulness intervention on momentary negative affect (mNA) for youth with high levels of trait negative affectivity., Method: Participants were 111 youth ages 12 to 17 years old ( M = 14.17, SD = 1.60). Youth self-identified as 68% female, 29% male, and 4.5% gender diverse; 54.55% identified as White; 31.82 reported being Hispanic/Latinx. Participants were selected for having high levels of trait negative affect and were randomized to receive either the mindfulness program or no intervention. We used ecological momentary assessment to measure stress and emotions and to derive measures of mNA comprised of stressor-independent and stressor-reactive negative affect. The ecological momentary assessment protocol involved participants completing a short survey/diary entry on Qualtrics four times per day for 5 days. Internalizing symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-8, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders., Results: The mindfulness intervention resulted in a significant reduction in stressor-reactive negative affect ( t = 2.001, df = 96, p = .048; Cohen's d = .40), but not stressor-independent mNA or overall mNA. Additionally, reductions in stressor-reactive negative affect significantly correlated with changes in internalizing symptomatology (standardized β = .26, p = .032)., Conclusions: These results indicate that among youth with high levels of trait negative affectivity, a relatively affordable and accessible digital mindfulness program significantly reduced stressor-reactive negative affect. The absence of an effect on stressor-independent or overall average mNA suggests some specificity of the effects of mindfulness to stressor-reactive negative affect in an at-risk sample of adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved). more...

University campuses could become leaders in developing alternatives to policing for managing public health and safety, yet, nearly all campuses rely on campus or local police to respond to mental health emergencies. Herein, we present the available evidence for campus mobile crisis intervention teams (MCITs) as an alternative to policing, consider what colleges and universities can learn from existing community MCIT models, and propose initial steps for the development and implementation of a campus MCIT. more...

Prosocial behavior, any behavior with the goal of benefiting another person, has been shown to improve mood and boost overall well-being for the individual performing the action as well as the recipient. The purpose of this study was to assess whether prosocial behavior could also reduce state loneliness. To examine this, we conducted two experimental studies to evaluate the effect of different prosocial behaviors on loneliness and associated cognitive and affective measures. In Study 1, we operationalized prosocial behavior as gift giving, and participants ( n = 286) were randomly assigned to complete either a gift giving, gift keeping, or neutral control task. In Study 2, prosocial behavior was operationalized as writing a note of appreciation to a close other, and participants ( n = 288) were randomly assigned to complete a written note of appreciation to a close other, a written reflection of a time when they received social support in the past, or a neutral control task. Across both studies, prosocial behavior reliably reduced state loneliness and improved mood but was less effective at reducing negative automatic thoughts about the self. Depressive and social anxiety symptoms were explored as possible moderators of the effects of prosocial behavior on outcome measures and were found to be significant moderators in Study 2, but not Study 1. Future directions and implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved). more...