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A 7‐year follow‐up study of the Mindfulness‐Based Program for Infertility: Are there long‐term effects?
Author(s) -
Galhardo Ana,
Cunha Marina,
PintoGouveia José
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0879
pISSN - 1063-3995
DOI - 10.1002/cpp.2362
Subject(s) - mindfulness , experiential avoidance , facet (psychology) , psychology , anxiety , infertility , clinical psychology , feeling , depression (economics) , shame , psychotherapist , psychiatry , big five personality traits , personality , pregnancy , psychoanalysis , social psychology , genetics , macroeconomics , biology , economics
The Mindfulness‐Based Program for Infertility (MBPI) was developed for people facing infertility and proved effective in cultivating mindfulness skills, improving infertility self‐efficacy, and decreasing depression, shame, entrapment, and defeat feelings. Fifty‐five women attended the MBPI sessions and completed self‐report measures of depression, anxiety, mindfulness, and experiential avoidance at post‐MBPI (T1), 6‐month follow‐up (T2), and 7‐year follow‐up (T3). There were significant direct time effects regarding experiential avoidance ( F = 3.81; p < 0.033; η p 2 = 0.08), the mindfulness facets describing ( F = 3.54; p = 0.037; η p 2 = 0.13), acting with awareness ( F = 6.87; p = 0.002; η p 2 = 0.22), nonjudging of inner experience ( F = 10.66; p < 0.001; η p 2 = 0.31), and depressive symptoms ( F = 4.85; p = 0.020; η p 2 = 0.10). There was an increase in the describing facet from T1 to T3 ( p = 0.036). The act with awareness facet increased from T1 to T2 ( p = 0.010) and from T1 to T3 ( p = 0.007), as well as the nonjudging of inner experience facet (T1 to T2 [ p = 0.030] and T1 to T3 [ p = 0.002]). Experiential avoidance decreased from T1 to T3 ( p = 0.022) and depressive symptoms from T1 to T2 ( p = 0.019). Post‐MBPI scores were maintained at T2 and T3 concerning anxiety symptoms and the observing and no‐reactivity mindfulness facets. There were long‐term effects of MBPI on mindfulness and experiential avoidance. Moreover, therapeutic gains were maintained regarding depression and anxiety symptoms, independently of the reproductive outcome.