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Mindfulness practice for protecting mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors :
Julie Lei Zhu
Rasmus Schülke
Deniz Vatansever
Dayou Xi
Junjie Yan
Hanqing Zhao
Xiaohua Xie
Jianfeng Feng
Mark Yuting Chen
Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian
Shouyan Wang
Source :
Translational Psychiatry, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Nature Publishing Group, 2021.

Abstract

Abstract Emerging evidence shows that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is negatively affecting mental health around the globe. Interventions to alleviate the psychological impact of the pandemic are urgently needed. Whether mindfulness practice may protect against the harmful emotional effects of a pandemic crisis remains hitherto unknown. We investigated the influence of mindfulness training on mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. We hypothesized that mindfulness practitioners might manifest less pandemic-related distress, depression, anxiety, and stress than non-practitioners and that more frequent practice would be associated with an improvement in mental health during the pandemic. Therefore, we assessed pandemic-related distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as the frequency of meditation practice at the peak of new infections (Feb 4–5; N = 673) and three weeks later (Feb 29–30; N = 521) in mindfulness practitioners via online questionnaires. Self-reported symptoms were also collected from non-practitioners at peak time only (N = 1550). We found lower scores of pandemic-related distress in mindfulness practitioners compared to non-practitioners. In general, older participants showed fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety. In younger practitioners, pandemic-related distress decreased from peak to follow-up. Importantly, increased mindfulness training during the preceding two weeks was associated with lower scores of depression and anxiety at both assessments. Likewise, practice frequency predicted individual improvement in scores of depression, anxiety, and stress at follow-up. Our results indicate that mindfulness meditation might be a viable low-cost intervention to mitigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
21583188
Volume :
11
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Translational Psychiatry
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9bde3ed385fb42a1bdf45c6608416317
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01459-8