Impact of continued mindfulness practice on resilience and well-being in mindfulness-based intervention graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Among graduates of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who continued regular mindfulness practice reported lower depression and higher resilience, overall health, and mental health compared to those who did not practice. The degree of perceived stress from the pandemic did not differ statistically between the groups. The effect of mindfulness practice on reducing depression was fully mediated by resilience. The findings suggest that maintaining mindfulness practice after an MBI builds resilience, which helps buffer against new stressors and may prevent depression.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented stress. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are known to be effective in reducing stress. However, it is unclear how long-term outcomes differ between those who continue mindfulness practice after MBIs and those who do not. In this study, we hypothesized that those who continued mindfulness practice would have higher stress tolerance, and we examined this hypothesis through a survey of MBI graduates. In this study, we examined the association between the continuation of mindfulness practice among MBI completers and individual stress during the COVID-19 epidemic. A cross-sectional survey of MBI graduates was conducted. The physical and mental health states were compared between those who established a habit of mindfulness practice (practice group) and those who did not (no practice group). The data were collected from 95 participants (response rate: 53.7%). Of the total respondents, 66 (69.5%) practiced mindfulness. Although the degree of perceived stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic was not statistically different between the practice and no practice groups, the practice group showed significantly lower levels of depression (p = 0.007), higher levels of resilience (p = 0.006), higher levels of overall health (p = 0.006), and higher levels of mental health (p = 0.039). The effect of mindfulness practice on reducing depression was fully mediated by resilience. Among MBI graduates, those who regularly practiced mindfulness had lower levels of depression and higher levels of physical and mental health. Thus, the continuation of mindfulness practice increases resilience, buffers against new stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and has the potential to prevent depression.