(2017) Dimensions of self-selected leisure activities, trait coping and their relationships with sleep quality and depressive symptoms, Leisure Studies, 36:6, 838-851,

The present study examined if high levels of religious attendance (ORG), private religious activity (NOR), or intrinsic religiosity (SUB) buffer cardiovascular responses to active speech and anger recall lab stressors alone and by John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) and educational attainment. A sample of 74 healthy African American males, aged 23 to 47 years, completed psychosocial surveys and a lab reactivity protocol involving active speech and anger recall with a 5-minute baseline and ensuing recovery periods. Measures of religiosity, JHAC, and education were related to continuous measures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), for each task and

Purpose This pilot study evaluated whether a brief, 5‐min single‐session of mindfulness meditation (MM) training could lessen cardiovascular and affective reactivity to speech and anger recall. Moreover, we tested if trait levels of perseverative cognitions (PCs) moderated these relationships. Methods Participants completed online survey measures including PCs; thereafter, they completed a 5‐min resting baseline, 2‐min speech task, and 5‐min anger recall task while measures of BP were collected. The experimental group received a 5‐min MM training session before the resting baseline period. Results Repeated measures ANOVA were conducted for condition (MM vs. control) and period (repeated: baseline, speech, anger recall) on blood pressure (BP). The MM group showed less systolic and diastolic BP reactivity during speech and anger recall than the control group. There were no effects observed for negative affect nor did PCs moderate the BP findings. Conclusion Thus, even 5 min of MM training can have momentary cardiovascular benefits, having important implications for the training and implementation of MM programs.