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Nonattachment Predicts Empathy, Rejection Sensitivity, and Symptom Reduction After a Mindfulness-Based Intervention Among Young Adults with a History of Childhood Maltreatment

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Abstract

Objectives

Individuals with a childhood maltreatment history tend to have various psychological symptoms and impaired social functioning. This study aimed to investigate the related therapeutic effects of a mindfulness-based intervention in this population.

Methods

We analyzed self-report questionnaire scores of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Non-Attachment Scale (NAS), Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (A-RSQ), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), PTSD Checklist (PCL), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), from 16 (3 males) young adults (age range 22–29) with mild to moderate childhood maltreatment, compared with 18 matched participants (6 males) on a waiting list, during both pre- and post-intervention/waiting periods. Analyses were conducted with linear mixed effects models, partial correlation analyses, and t tests.

Results

There were group by time interaction effects with the scores of MAAS, NAS, PCL, IRI-Fantasy, and A-RSQ (p < 0.05). The mindfulness group had significant increase in MAAS (17.325%) and NAS (8.957%) scores, as well as reduction in PCL (15.599%) and A-RSQ (23.189%) scores (p < 0.05). Changes in nonattachment, but not mindfulness, had significant contributions to the score changes of PCL (16.375%), ASI (36.244%), IRI-Personal Distress (24.141%), IRI-Empathic Concern (16.830%), and A-RSQ (10.826%) (p < 0.05). The number of intervention sessions attended was correlated with score changes of NAS (r = 0.955, p < 0.001) and ASI (r = − 0.887, p < 0.001), suggesting a dose-dependent effect.

Conclusions

Findings from this pilot study suggest that the mindfulness-based intervention improved mindfulness, nonattachment, and empathy, which contributed to reduced interpersonal distress, rejection sensitivity, and other psychological symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Zayda Vallejo for assistance with modification of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program into the trauma-sensitive mindfulness-based intervention used in the current study, and we thank Lauri J Klein and David Schouela for teaching the intervention sessions. We thank Alaptagin Khan for performing clinical interviews.

Funding

This study was supported by funding from the Mind and Life Institute. The first author was supported by funding from NIH (grant number 5K01AT009085) while working on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA

    Diane Joss & Martin H. Teicher

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Sara W. Lazar

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Diane Joss, Sara W. Lazar & Martin H. Teicher

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Contributions

DJ designed and conducted the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. SWL supervised the design and conduct of the study and collaborated with writing of the manuscript. MHT provided the database of all research participants’ childhood maltreatment assessments and psychological diagnoses, supervised data analyses, and collaborated with manuscript writing.

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Correspondence to Diane Joss.

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Research Involving Human Participants

The present study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Partners HealthCare (IRB No. 2014P000295), which is the IRB for Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, and several other major local hospitals.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all research subjects after the research procedure and all potential risks were explained face-to-face to subjects by research staff. IRB-approved informed consent forms were signed by all subjects in the present study.

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Joss, D., Lazar, S.W. & Teicher, M.H. Nonattachment Predicts Empathy, Rejection Sensitivity, and Symptom Reduction After a Mindfulness-Based Intervention Among Young Adults with a History of Childhood Maltreatment. Mindfulness 11, 975–990 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01322-9

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