Date of Award

6-1-2024

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Psychology

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Elana B. Gordis

Committee Members

James F. Boswell

Keywords

autonomic nervous system, blood pressure, brief mindfulness-based interventions, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, skin conductance levels, total peripheral resistance

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

Brief mindfulness-based interventions are comparable to traditional mindfulness-based interventions in alleviating stress and improving well-being. To explore the underlying biological mechanisms of these practices, researchers have been exploring the effects of mindfulness-based interventions through the autonomic nervous system (ANS), a major bodily stress response system. Nevertheless, most of these studies relied on one stress response system or a specific biomarker. This study aims to comprehensively examine the effectiveness of two sessions of brief mindfulness-based interventions on ANS functioning. Participants were assigned to the brief mindfulness intervention condition (n = 44) or control condition (n = 47). Participants’ physiological data, including respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), skin conductance levels (SCL), blood pressure, and total peripheral resistance (TPR), were collected in response to the assigned condition and a psychosocial stressor. Compared to the control group, the mindfulness group displayed greater RSA augmentation and lower SCL activity in response to the mindfulness intervention, greater decline in blood pressure from preintervention to post-mindfulness intervention, and higher blood pressure immediately after psychosocial stress. Moreover, the assigned condition significantly influenced ANS coordination. In face of psychosocial stress, participants in the mindfulness condition displayed reciprocal ANS activation patterns, whereas control participants exhibited non-reciprocal ANS coordination. Greater RSA augmentation, reduced SCL and blood pressure, and reciprocal ANS activation are considered to confer adaptive stress response and have been shown to support health and socioemotional outcomes. The results of this study highlight the promise of two sessions of brief mindfulness-based interventions in promoting optimal physiological functioning.

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