Effects of Mindful Acceptance and Reappraisal Training on Maladaptive Beliefs About Rumination

Abstract

The present study examined the relative effects of mindful acceptance and reappraisal on metacognitive attitudes and beliefs in relation to rumination and negative experiences. A small but growing literature has compared the effects of these strategies on immediate emotional experience, but little work has examined the broader, metacognitive impact of these strategies, such as maladaptive beliefs about rumination. One hundred and twenty-nine participants who reported elevated symptoms of depression were randomly assigned to receive brief training in mindful acceptance, reappraisal, or no training prior to undergoing an autobiographical sad mood induction. Participants rated their beliefs in relation to rumination and negative experiences before and after instructions to engage in mood regulation. Results showed that relative to reappraisal or no training, training in mindful acceptance resulted in greater decreases in maladaptive beliefs about rumination. The study suggests that training in mindful acceptance promotes beneficial changes in metacognitive attitudes and beliefs relevant to depression, and contributes to a greater understanding of the mechanisms through which mindfulness-based interventions lead to positive outcomes.

Exploring daily affective changes in university students with a mindful positive reappraisal intervention: A daily diary randomized controlled trial

“…Furthermore, we explored the mindfulness-to-meaning theory , which suggests that mindfulness creates an optimal foundation for the mind to engage in emotion regulation techniques such as positive reappraisal. We found a significant main effect of condition on positive and negative affect such that a com- Keng et al, 2013;Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2016;Wolgast et al, 2011). By contrast, our study examined an intervention that combined both mindfulness and reappraisal in the intervention, rather than comparing techniques in isolation.…”

“…It is notable that several clinical therapies exist that integrate the teachings of reappraisal and mindfulness, such as Mindfulness‐Oriented Recovery Enhancement (Garland et al, ), and the TIMBER© trauma intervention (Pradhan, Gray, Parikh, Akkireddi, & Pumariega, ). Outside of psychotherapy, several studies have compared mindfulness and related training (e.g., acceptance) versus reappraisal, showing both overlap and unique benefits of each strategy (e.g., Keng et al, ; Keng, Smoski, & Robins, ; Wolgast et al, ). By contrast, our study examined an intervention that combined both mindfulness and reappraisal in the intervention, rather than comparing techniques in isolation.…”

Cognitive reappraisal and acceptance: Effects on emotion, physiology, and perceived cognitive costs.

“…This decoupling has been shown to be associated with positive outcomes in prior studies and may occur because acceptance reduces negative cognitions of unpleasant emotional and physiological states, which can serve to maintain or heighten physiological arousal (Desbordes et al, 2014; Feldman et al, 2016). Thus, acceptance may decrease physiological responding by facilitating a less judgmental relationship with one’s emotions and bodily sensations (Feldman et al, 2016; Keng et al, 2016). …”

“…Acceptance is thought to allow individuals to nonjudgmentally engage with the full range of human experiences and promote increased self-awareness, self-compassion, and behavioral flexibility (Hayes & Wilson, 2003; Kashdan et al, 2006). Similarly, the nonjudgment aspect of acceptance is thought to decrease the metacognitions that often accompany negative mood states—that is, one’s negative evaluations of his or her emotions—which may, in turn, help to diffuse negative affective states (Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2016; Troy, Shallcross, Davis, & Mauss, 2013). …”

Cognitive Reappraisal Facilitates Decentering: A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Analysis Study

“…Therefore, strong evidence of causality should be examined using experimental methodologies such as experimental intervention. Regarding this point, the causal effect of cognitive reappraisal on decentering can be investigated by performing an intervention that facilitates cognitive reappraisal (e.g., Keng et al, 2016;Shore et al, 2017) and confirming whether decentering is improved as a result.…”