An eight-week mindfulness-based program was effective for reducing stress and depressive symptoms while increasing general well-being in a study of infertile women.
An eight-week mindfulness-based program was effective for reducing stress and depressive symptoms while increasing general well-being in a study of infertile women.
The Stress and Health study included 62 infertile women who underwent the program—which included meditation, relaxation, guided imagery, and other components—and 37 who were in a control group and received no intervention. The median number of symptoms of chronic stress recorded in the past month decreased from 6 before the program to 2 after the intervention. Depressive symptoms also decreased after the program, while general well-being improved. None of the outcomes changed significantly in the control group.
“Infertile women are often overwhelmed with chronic stress and are at increased risk for depression. We observed that a relatively brief program of mindfulness practice was able to reduce the self-perception of stress and depressive symptoms in this population,” said senior author Dr. Fernando Reis, of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in Brazil. “This program offers a complementary support to mitigate the psychological burden of infertility.”
Additional Information
Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smi.2839
About Journal
Stress & Health provides an international forum for disseminating cutting-edge theoretical and empirical research that significantly advances understanding of the relationship between stress and health and well-being in humans. Despite the prevalence of stress in society, scientific conceptualizations of stress are less than 100 years old and there is much yet to learn regarding the causes, nature, and outcomes of stress, as well as the mechanisms for coping with such stress.
The study of stress and health is inherently multidisciplinary in nature; therefore, the journal editors welcome contributions from researchers in fields as diverse as occupational and organizational psychology, health psychology, psychophysiology, and clinical medicine. Moreover, we particularly seek research that takes into account multiple levels of interacting systems ranging from the individual to dyadic, family, organizational, and societal factors. In addition to research that enhances our basic understanding of the nature, causes, and consequences of stress, the journal also highly values methodologically-sound intervention research that is solidly grounded in theory.
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