Specificity of the interaction between different mindfulness mechanisms and specific symptoms of depression throughout the psychotherapeutic process

Abstract

Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been widely associated with treating mental and physical disorders and promoting general well-being in non-clinical settings. However, the action of the mechanisms underlying these interventions remains unclear. Recently, the analysis of complex psychopathological networks has explored the relationship between symptoms of mental disorders and between symptoms and various cognitive processes associated with the development of these disorders. This study sought to clarify the relationship between different mindfulness mechanisms and depressive symptoms. A sample (N =151) from a study conducted in the Netherlands on the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for adults with depressive symptoms was reanalyzed. The results suggest that the mechanisms of acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reactivity, seem to be more relevant in the treatment of depressive symptoms, since they contribute to the symptomatic decrease and to the dynamic relationship that explains the demonstrated effectiveness of IBMs. This study also made it possible to identify the specificity of the action of different mechanisms on symptoms and underlined that, in some circumstances, some mechanisms (e.g., observe, describe) may be associated with an increase in symptoms. Overall, these results suggest that the effectiveness of IBMs is best explained by the dynamic relationship between different mechanisms.