title: Mindfulness in schizophrenia: Associations with self-reported motivation, emotion regulation, dysfunctional attitudes, and negative symptoms.
abstract: Mindfulness-based interventions are gaining empirical support as alternative or adjunctive treatments for a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. Emerging evidence now suggests that mindfulness-based treatments may also improve clinical features of schizophrenia, including negative symptoms. However, no research has examined the construct of mindfulness and its correlates in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined self-reported mindfulness in patients (n=35) and controls (n=25) using the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. We examined correlations among mindfulness, negative symptoms, and psychological constructs associated with negative symptoms and adaptive functioning, including motivation, emotion regulation, and dysfunctional attitudes. As hypothesized, patients endorsed lower levels of mindfulness than controls. In patients, mindfulness was unrelated to negative symptoms, but it was associated with more adaptive emotion regulation (greater reappraisal) and beliefs (lower dysfunctional attitudes). Some facets of mindfulness were also associated with self-reported motivation (behavioral activation and inhibition). These patterns of correlations were similar in patients and controls. Findings from this initial study suggest that schizophrenia patients may benefit from mindfulness-based interventions because they (a) have lower self-reported mindfulness than controls and (b) demonstrate strong relationships between mindfulness and psychological constructs related to adaptive functioning.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, United States; VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, United States. Electronic address: ntabak@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Naomi T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Tabak
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, United States; UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, United States.
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Horan
authors.affiliation: UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, United States; VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, United States.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D009042:Motivation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Cognitive reappraisal; Defeatist beliefs; Dysfunctional attitudes; Emotion regulation; Mindfulness; Motivation