Exploratory effects of structured mindfulness programs (MBCT and MBSR) on posttraumatic growth, alexithymia and type D personality

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness practices might become an important intervention strategy, but also a prevention approach, with regular practice helping people to cope with adverse daily situations, adopting more conscious attitudes and behaviors, responding, instead of reacting. This exploratory study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two of the main structured mindfulness-based interventions (MBCT, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy program; and MBSR, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program), applied to adults, to assess their impact on psychological variables. Method: Participants completed self-report measures concerning posttraumatic growth, alexithymia, dispositional mindfulness, and type D personality, in an initial moment (before the program; n=126), in a second moment (at the end of the program; n=44), and in a third moment (four months after the end of the program; n=13), thus fulfilling a 6-month study protocol. Results: The results showed a significant increase in the levels of positive psychological changes after a traumatic event, alexithymia, dispositional mindfulness, and type D personality, after participating in these programs and later, 4 months after the programs have ended, only for the MBCT group. Conclusions: Despite some limitations inherent to this type of study, that future studies should consider, the results reinforce the value of conducting and comparing the efficacy of different mindfulness programs, in isolation, or complementing individual therapy.

Keywords

• mindfulness programs
• alexithymia
• type d personality
• posttraumatic growth
• dispositional mindfulness.