Effects of a Brief Mindfulness Intervention on Stress Reactivity

Date of Award

August 2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Joshua C. Felver

Keywords

mindfulness, psychophysiology, stress reactivity, Trier Social Stress Test

Subject Categories

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Mindfulness interventions (MI) have gained interest in research (Creswell, Pacilio, Lindsay, & Brown, 2014) particularly in relation to stress (Brown, Weinstein, & Creswell, 2012) and have been evaluated by psychophysiological and psychological self-report measures.

However, there great variability in MI protocols (e.g., population characteristics, control conditions) that examine MI and stress making the literature difficult to interpret. The current study employed a replicable, standardized MI protocol to address these limitations including a full-active control condition among healthy undergraduate students and using the most empirically validated stress protocol (TSST; Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993). The study evaluated whether a standardized MI protocol, relative to a full-active control condition, buffered psychophysiological stress reactivity in response to an acute stress induction (TSST). Results of the study indicated that participants experienced stress reactivity when faced with the TSST; however, there were no statistically significant differences in the participant’s stress buffering response between the two conditions.

Access

SURFACE provides description only. Full text may be available to ProQuest subscribers. Please ask your Librarian for assistance.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS