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History of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Is Associated with Increased Cognitive Reappraisal Ability

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Abstract

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for mood and anxiety disorders. Little is known, however, about the specific psychological skills that may improve with MBCT. The present study investigated the relationship between history of MBCT and emotion regulation ability. Specifically, we examined cognitive reappraisal ability (CRA) in a sample of individuals with a history of MBCT compared with two control groups: a group without a history of any type of therapy and a group with a history of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Groups were matched on key variables including age, sex, education, working memory, emotional reactivity, and life stress. CRA was measured using a standardized laboratory challenge. Results indicated that participants with a history of MBCT demonstrated higher CRA than both the no-therapy control group and the CBT control group. These results suggest that, by guiding people to accept thoughts and feelings without judgment and to focus on the present moment, MBCT may lay the foundation for increased CRA.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Betsy App, Taylor Newton, Victoria Floerke, and Kelly Wagner for assistance with data collection and the members of the Emotion Regulation Lab at the University of Denver for feedback on a previous draft of this manuscript. This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (1R21AG031967) awarded to I. B. M. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA

    Allison S. Troy

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Amanda J. Shallcross & Tchiki S. Davis

  3. Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall #1650, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Iris B. Mauss

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  1. Allison S. Troy
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  2. Amanda J. Shallcross
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  4. Iris B. Mauss
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Correspondence to Iris B. Mauss.

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Troy, A.S., Shallcross, A.J., Davis, T.S. et al. History of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Is Associated with Increased Cognitive Reappraisal Ability. Mindfulness 4, 213–222 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0114-5

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