Mindfulness in Thailand and the United States: a case of apples versus oranges?

Christopher, Michael; Charoensuk, Sukjai; Gilbert, Brennan D.; Neary, Timothy J.; Pearce, K.L.

doi:10.1002/jclp.20580

Cited by 133 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(73 reference statements)

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“…Some previous studies have demonstrated the validity of translated scales, for example, the validity of MAAS and SCS scales for Greek-speaking populations [24]. In contrast, Christopher, Charoensuk, Gilbert, Neary, and Pearce [8] suggested that mindfulness cannot be properly operationalized in the MAAS at least for Buddhist cultures. As far as the Russian versions of the instruments used in this study are concerned, Ivanova et al [13] validated the HSQ but we were unable to locate any other empirical studies that used the Russian translation of the HSQ or the Russian MAAS and SCS.…”

Section: Self-defeating Humormentioning

confidence: 98%

Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of humor styles in US and Russia

Khramtsova

Chuykova

2016

Social Psychology and Society

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Mindfulness and self-compassion are increasingly coming into mainstream psychological research in the Western world as they correlate with and predict various aspects of mental health and positivity. However, little is known about their relationship to another construct that is also associated with well-being, that is, humor. The unique contribution of the present study is in exploring whether mindfulness and self-compas- sion would predict the use of adaptive and maladaptive humor styles and whether this prediction will be the same across cultures. 90 U.S. and 106 Russian college students responded to a survey consisting of three measures: Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003), Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF; Raes, Pommier, Neff, & Van Gucht, 2011), and Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, & Weir, 2003). Our findings suggest that mind- fulness and self-compassion can serve as predictors of humor styles, that is, more mind- ful and self-compassionate participants tended to use more adaptive humor styles and less maladaptive styles. However, the contribution of these two variables to the vari- ance in humor styles depended on the culture.

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Section: Self-defeating Humormentioning

confidence: 98%

Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of humor styles in US and Russia

Khramtsova

Chuykova

2016

Social Psychology and Society

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“…Similar issues, if somewhat less frivolous, have arisen in other research as well. Another study of the MAAS and KIMS across a Thai population (where Buddhist beliefs are predominant) and US sample (where Buddhist beliefs are in 230 PAUL GROSSMAN AND NICHOLAS T. VAN DAM the minority) found no overall differences on the MAAS (even though rates of meditation in the two groups were substantially different); also the KIMS exhibited inconsistent relationships among its items across the groups (Christopher et al 2009). Such findings bring into question what psychologists are actually measuring with these questionnaires and whether there is adequate scientific support for their continued use, if characterized as measures of mindfulness.…”

Section: Paul Grossman and Nicholas T Van Dammentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness, by any other name…: trials and tribulations of sati in western psychology and science

Grossman

Dam

2011

Contemporary Buddhism

463

359

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The Buddhist construct of mindfulness is a central element of mindfulness-based interventions and derives from a systematic phenomenological programme developed over several millennia to investigate subjective experience. Enthusiasm for 'mindfulness' in Western psychological and other science has resulted in proliferation of definitions, operationalizations and self-report inventories that purport to measure mindful awareness as a trait. This paper addresses a number of seemingly intractable issues regarding current attempts to characterize mindfulness and also highlights a number of vulnerabilities in this domain that may lead to denaturing, distortion, dilution or reification of Buddhist constructs related to mindfulness. Enriching positivist Western psychological paradigms with a detailed and complex Buddhist phenomenology of the mind may require greater study and long-term direct practice of insight meditation than is currently common among psychologists and other scientists. Pursuit of such an approach would seem a necessary precondition for attempts to characterize and quantify mindfulness.

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“…formally practice meditation (Christopher, Charoensuk, Gilbert, Neary, & Pearce, 2009). The practice of mindfulness in Thailand is embedded within a specific religio-cultural context and is coupled with the systematic teaching of Buddhist philosophy.…”

Section: Chapter Fivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A systematic replication of this study will be conducted in Australia so that the findings from the two studies can be compared. This is important given that mindfulness in psychotherapy requires an understanding of the cultural context from which it originated (Christopher, Charoensuk, Gilbert, & Neary, 2009). The following hypotheses were proposed.…”

Section: Research Aims and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Putting Buddhist understanding back into mindfulness training

Jarukasemthawee¹

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In recent years, mindfulness training techniques have been incorporated into a variety of Western psychological therapies. These mindfulness-based therapies have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing psychological distress in a wide range of populations; however, these interventions provide only superficial rationale for these techniques and do not include teachings about their origins or philosophical importance. The Positive Mindfulness Program (PMP) was developed by combining the well-established foundation of Western mindfulness-based programs with the rich Buddhist teachings from which mindfulness originates to include a more holistic and integrated mindfulness program. The present study explored the effectiveness of the PMP in improving well-being as well as reducing distress in Thai and Australian samples. Study 1 used a randomized control trial to test for changes in well-being, psychological distress, mindfulness, rumination, difficulties in emotional regulation, and understanding of the three characteristics of existence in a Thai-Buddhist sample. The results demonstrated that relative to a control condition, the PMP had a significant effect on well-being, major psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress), mindfulness, rumination, difficulties in emotional regulation), and the understanding of the three characteristics of existence. The effect size for rumination was large and the effect size for well-being, mindfulness, difficulties in emotional regulation, and the understanding of the three characteristics of existence was medium to large. For depression, anxiety, and stress, the effect size was small to medium. Furthermore, the results demonstrated no significant changes in the control condition. A multilevel model for the PMP revealed that positive and negative outcomes improved most rapidly across the first half of intervention (the first four sessions) showed smaller changes in the second half of intervention (the second four sessions), and that gains were maintained across the six week follow-up assessment.In Study 2, the PMP was conducted using an Australian sample. This study aimed to replicate the results of Study 1 in a culture where Buddhist ideas are not familiar. Multilevel modelling demonstrated that the PMP significantly increased well-being, mindfulness, and the understanding of Buddhist concepts about the characteristics of existence and significantly reduced rumination, difficulties with emotional regulation, and distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). The program was most effective during the first half of intervention (the first four sessions), while the second half of the intervention (the second four sessions) was also effective but to a lesser extent.Treatment effects were maintained at six weeks follow-up across all measures. The effect size was large for measures of well-being, mindfulness, the understanding of the three characteristics of existence, rumination, difficulties in emotional regulation, depression, and stress. The effect size for m...

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Mindfulness in Thailand and the United States: a case of apples versus oranges?

Cited by 133 publications

References 64 publications

Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of humor styles in US and Russia

Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of humor styles in US and Russia

Mindfulness, by any other name…: trials and tribulations of sati in western psychology and science

Putting Buddhist understanding back into mindfulness training

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