Dimensions of distress tolerance and the moderating effects on mindfulness-based stress reduction

Abstract

Background and Objectives: This study examined the relationship between distress tolerance and psychosocial changes among individuals participating in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The objective of the analysis was to discern whether individuals with lower distress tolerance measured before MBSR showed larger reductions in perceived stress following MBSR. Design and Methods: Data were collected from a sample of convenience (n = 372) using a quasi-experimental design. Participants completed self-report measures immediately prior to course enrollment and following course completion. Results: Perceived stress, distress tolerance, and mood states showed favorable changes from pre- to post-MBSR in the current study. Baseline distress tolerance significantly moderated reductions on perceived stress, supporting the primary hypothesis that individuals with lower baseline distress tolerance evidenced a greater decline in perceived stress following MBSR. For a one-unit increase on the self-reported baseline Distress Tolerance Scale, reported perceived stress scores decreased by 2.5 units (p < .0001). Conclusions: The finding that individuals with lower baseline distress tolerance evidenced a greater decline in perceived stress may offer hints about who is most likely to benefit from MBSR and other mindfulness-based treatments. Identifying moderators of treatment outcomes may yield important benefits in matching individuals to treatments that are most likely to work for them.

Self‐compassion in mindfulness‐based stress reduction: An examination of prediction and mediation of intervention effects

“…Degree of self‐compassion may, among other constructs, aid in identifying individuals who benefit most from MBSR or those who may not be presently appropriate to complete the course. In contrast to previous findings (Gawrysiak et al, ; Shapiro et al, ), we did not find that preintervention mindfulness was predictive of change in either psychological distress or perceived stress. This finding is echoed in work that used a similar approach to control for regression to the mean (Greeson et al, ).…”

“…Some treatment‐level factors shown to enhance outcome include treatment duration and facilitator skill level (Khoury et al, ). Patient‐level factors that influence outcomes include age, attachment style, trait mindfulness, and distress tolerance (Cordon, Brown, & Gibson, ; Gallegos, Lytle, Moynihan, & Talbot, ; Gawrysiak et al, ; Shapiro, Brown, Thoresen, & Plante, ). Some research suggests that MBSR outcomes are not influenced by age, sex, trait mindfulness, spirituality, or religiosity (Greeson et al, ).…”

The many facets of mindfulness and the prediction of change following mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR)

“…To minimize response bias, an administrative assistant distributed and collected all questionnaires. The survey methodology employed here parallels prior work (Gawrysiak et al, ).…”

Yogic Breathing and Mindfulness as Stress Coping Mediate Positive Health Outcomes of Yoga

“…Practicing yoga has beneficial health effects. For example, yoga interventions can reduce perceived stress (Chiesa and Serretti 2009;Creswell et al 2014;Gawrysiak et al 2016;Goyal et al 2014;Sharma 2014) and stress-related mental illness such as anxiety (Bamber and Kraenzle Schneider 2016;Call et al 2014;Hylander et al 2017) and depression (Hofmann et al 2010;Janakiramaiah et al 2000;Streeter et al 2010). Yoga can also have physiological benefits such as lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels (Salmon et al 2009;Thirthalli et al 2013), and it can improve overall well-being (Goyal et al 2014).…”