Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Pain

Kriakous, S. A., Elliott, K. A., Lamers, C., & Owen, R. (2021). The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on the Psychological Functioning of Healthcare Professionals: a Systematic Review. Mindfulness, 12(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01500-9

Reviewed by Dr. Tanner Tunsky

Summarized Reviewed Conclusions

Stress seems inescapable. Sometimes life can feel overwhelming, and it is easy to get lost in to-do lists, appointments, practices, and other events that pull at not only your time, but your mental state. Stress can also lead to physical symptoms like neck tension, low back pain, or achy joints. Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and even depressed due to the mental overload is a common, but normal experience that every human goes through. This research article dives into Mindfulness-based stress reduction practices (MBSR) and their effect on a persons anxiety, depression, and stress levels.

The review looked at over 1,000 participants and it showed that just 5-7 minutes of mindfulness practice per day has a notable positive effect on a perception of stress, anxiety, and depression.

“The systematic review findings provided further evidence that MBSR programmes were effective in improving particular aspects of psychological functioning in different types of HCPs, including reducing anxiety, depression, and stress and increasing self-compassion.”

“This supported Shapiro et al.’s (2006) theory that mindfulness has three mechanisms (intention, attention and attitude) and Bishop et al.’s (2004) two-component model of mindfulness. Shapiro et al. (2006) and Bishop et al. (2004) postulated that improvements in self-regulation and nonreactive awareness could lead to changes in perspective.”

“Three MBSR programmes were less than 3 weeks in duration and yielded significant reductions in anxiety, depression, stress and burnout and significant improvements in mindfulness (Ando et al. 2011; Fortney et al. 2013, Hallman et al. 2017).”

Introduction to the Research

Everybody has been through periods of increased stress, anxiety, or depression. While these feelings tend to come and go, they are impossible to avoid. This research was done to review the effects on mindfulness-based stress reduction practices and their effects on one’s perceived anxiety, depression, and stress levels.

Stress is a natural human reaction to life, and is normal. The problems come when stress becomes a person’s natural mindset, and perceived stress levels are not reduced. This chronic stress can lead to a decrease in a person’s perceived mental state and may cause one to become more irritable, less patient, and less likely to be present in the current moment. Excess stress can also bring about physical manifestations like headaches, neck pain, low back pain, and sleeplessness. Studying how being mindful can bring about lower levels of stress, depression, and anxiety provides a simple and time-effective way to help combat some of the stressors that life may throw at us.

Research Methodology

This research was a review of a multitude of studies that looked at mindfulness-based stress reduction practices (MBSR). Four studies employed an RCT design, nine studies employed a clinical controlled trial (CCT), one study employed a quasi-experimental design and the sixteen remaining studies employed a pre-post design with no control or comparison treatment groups. Three studies utilised a mixed methods design, including quantitative and qualitative data. Six studies had a control group, six studies used a waitlist control group, one study had a control group which offered an advanced stress and leadership strategies course and another study had a control group which attended a humanities class. No studies included a treatment comparison group. Thirteen studies collected follow-up data, ranging from 2 months to 1 year.

Research Findings

The systematic review findings provided further evidence that MBSR programmes were effective in improving particular aspects of psychological functioning in different types of HCPs, including reducing anxiety, depression, and stress and increasing self-compassion. These findings supported theories that mindfulness can generate a positive shift in perspective and an ability to view one’s life experiences more objectively. This supported Shapiro et al.’s (2006) theory that mindfulness has three mechanisms (intention, attention and attitude) and Bishop et al.’s (2004) two-component model of mindfulness. Shapiro et al. (2006) and Bishop et al. (2004) postulated that improvements in self-regulation and nonreactive awareness could lead to changes in perspective. This process of decentering (Baer 2003; Brown et al. 2007) or reperceiving (Shapiro et al. 2006) leads individuals to employ a ‘mindfulness-mediated stress response’ (Kabat-Zinn 2013) and thus be less affected by the power of the stress response. With the development of such skills, HCPs would be expected to display improved stress management and reduced levels of stress and burnout.

Research References

As always with these reviews, these are my takeaways from the article and I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. The references used in this article by the authors of this article are listed here.

Our Message

When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our East Dallas Doctors, located in Lakewood at the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., are here to teach you that taking care of your mental health and getting the proper nutrients are just as important as the chiropractic adjustment to stay healthy.