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Self-reported mindfulness and cortisol during a shamatha meditation retreat
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- OBJECTIVE Cognitive perseverations that include worry and rumination over past or future events may prolong cortisol release, which in turn may contribute to predisease pathways and adversely affect physical health. Meditation training may increase self-reported mindfulness, which has been linked to reductions in cognitive perseverations. However, there are no reports that directly link self-reported mindfulness and resting cortisol output. Here, the authors investigate this link. METHODS In an observational study, we measured self-reported mindfulness and p.m. cortisol near the beginning and end of a 3-month meditation retreat (N = 57). RESULTS Mindfulness increased from pre- to post-retreat, F(1, 56) = 36.20, p < .001. Cortisol did not significantly change. However, mindfulness was inversely related to p.m. cortisol at pre-retreat, r(53) = -.31, p < .05, and post-retreat, r(53) = -.30, p < .05, controlling for age and body mass index. Pre to postchange in mindfulness was associated with pre to postchange in p.m. cortisol, β = -.37, t(49) = 2.30, p < .05: Larger increases in mindfulness were associated with decreases in p.m. cortisol, whereas smaller increases (or slight decreases) in mindfulness were associated with an increase in p.m. cortisol. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest a relation between self-reported mindfulness and resting output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system. Future work should aim to replicate this finding in a larger cohort and determine stronger inference about causality by using experimental designs that include control-group conditions.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Mindfulness
Psychoanalysis
Hydrocortisone
media_common.quotation_subject
Perseveration
Anxiety
Affect (psychology)
050105 experimental psychology
Body Mass Index
Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical
Thinking
03 medical and health sciences
Young Adult
0302 clinical medicine
Surveys and Questionnaires
medicine
Humans
0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Meditation
Saliva
Applied Psychology
media_common
Aged
05 social sciences
Middle Aged
Psychiatry and Mental health
Treatment Outcome
Rumination
Regression Analysis
Female
Self Report
medicine.symptom
Worry
Psychology
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Stress, Psychological
medicine.drug
Clinical psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4d7d0b55a69f86964e295f962cc5775e