Mindfulness and cognitive control are overlapping constructs. Mindfulness involves maintaining awareness of the current experience by sustaining attention to relevant information and disengaging from irrelevant information. Cognitive control refers to the set of processes involved in selecting and monitoring information relevant to our goals, while ignoring or inhibiting information irrelevant to these goals. This dissertation contains three studies that examine the convergence between mindfulness and cognitive control. The first study examined the relationship between self-reported mindfulness and behavioural correlates of cognitive control using the Digit Stroop task within two experimental contexts: when task difficulty was not manipulated (non-titrated) and when task difficulty was increased (titrated). The results demonstrate that self-reported mindfulness predicted behavioural performance, but only when cognitive control processes were sufficiently challenged by increasing task difficulty. The second study examined the precise neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between mindfulness and cognitive control using electroencephalography (EEG) to identify changes to event-related potentials (ERPs) during the non-titrated Digit Stroop task after two weeks of daily training. By introducing a novel active control training condition (guided visual imagery meditation) that contrasted passive attention regulation with the focused attention regulation in mindfulness, the results isolated electrophysiological correlates of cognitive control that were uniquely tied to mindfulness training, including increased efficiency in conflict detection, delayed attentional capture by incongruent stimuli, faster conscious evaluation of all stimuli, and delayed automatic detection of all errors. The third study replicated and extended these findings by examining changes to ERPs when the cognitive control system was challenged using the titrated Digit Stroop task. Compared to the active control group, the mindfulness group showed enhanced sensory processing, resistance to stimulus-driven attentional capture and faster conscious evaluation of all stimuli after training. Taken together, this dissertation establishes an empirical relationship between behavioural and electrophysiological correlates of mindfulness and cognitive control. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Mindfulness is a way of paying attention, on purpose, in the present-moment and nonjudgmentally. By focusing attention on present goals and redirecting attention from distractions, mindfulness enhances moment-to-moment awareness of fluctuations in cognitive demands. As a result, meditators can develop greater control over a set of cognitive processes that promote useful behavioural responses. This deliberate practice overlaps with a construct known as “cognitive control”—a set of cognitive processes that facilitate information processing and behaviour to vary adaptively from moment to moment depending on current goals. This dissertation examines the relationship between mindfulness and cognitive control using electroencephalography (EEG) to record ongoing brain activity during two variations of a cognitive control task designed to manipulate difficulty. The results show that self-reported mindfulness predicts cognitive control performance when task difficulty is increased and that two weeks of daily mindfulness training leads to changes in neural activity underlying this cognitive control performance.

Coping with a cancer diagnosis is known to be a stressful experience that can be related to declines in personal well-being and increases in distress. Dispositional mindfulness is known to be related to depressive symptoms and well-being. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between mindfulness and experiences of depressive symptoms and well-being in people recently diagnosed with cancer. Seventy-four participants who were diagnosed with cancer in the last 12 months completed an initial self-report survey, and 43 of those completed another survey 3 months later. Cross-sectional regression analysis showed that higher levels of mindfulness were related to fewer depressive symptoms, less use of avoidant coping, and more experiences of positive affect at baseline, but not related to positive reappraisal coping at baseline. Longitudinal regression analyses showed no significant relationship between mindfulness at baseline and depressive symptoms, experiences of positive affect, positive reappraisal coping, or avoidant coping 3 months later, after controlling for the dependent variable at baseline. Additionally, cross-lagged analysis indicated no evidence of a causal relationship between mindfulness at baseline and the dependent variables 3 months later.

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Prior research has indicated higher risk of suicide for farmers and identified depression and anxiety as mental health concerns, though the majority of research was conducted in the 1980s-1990s. In today’s economic, social, and political climate, farmers are exposed to situations and stressors reminiscent of the 1980s Farm Crisis. An added risk is the aging workforce of farmers, as age-related conditions can make farming even riskier. This study investigated the mental health of a subset of American farmers by exploring farm-related stressors, coping mechanisms, and mental health outcomes. Dispositional mindfulness was explored as a specific coping mechanism. Participants (N = 158) were recruited through in-person and online surveys. All participants were farmers in the United States at the time of the study, with the majority farming in the state of Kentucky (48.7%). Participants were predominantly female (55.4%), White (98.1%), married (77.1%), and multi-generation farmers (69.2%). Participants completed measures of farm stress, general stress, depressive and anxious symptoms, coping, resilience, and dispositional mindfulness. Hierarchical linear regressions and moderation analyses were used to examine study aims. Results showed that farmers in this sample experience rates of depressive symptoms 1.5 times to 4.5 times higher than the national population, as well as rates of anxiety symptoms 1.5 times higher than the national population. Results also revealed that farmers with higher levels of farm stress are at a higher risk for anxious and depressive symptomology. Age appeared to be a protective factor, as older farmers reported the lowest levels of farm stress. Being a female was associated with higher farm stress. Regarding coping, over half of farmers endorsed using “planning” as the top strategy for coping with farm-related stressors. Farmers higher in dispositional mindfulness had better mental health ratings and lower farm stress. Further results and implications of the findings are discussed.

No description available.

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka effekten av en Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) intervention på dispositionell idrottsmindfulness, emotionsreglering och prestation (själv- och tränarskattad) över tid. Data samlades in i nämnda variabler före, under och efter interventionen, som innehöll åtta sessioner. Studiens deltagare var akademifotbollsspelare (n = 32 Målder = 17.06. SD = 0.72) från två olika fotbollslag. Envägs beroende ANOVA visade att MAC hade en statistiskt signifikant effekt på emotionsreglering och subskalorna acceptans och uppmärksamhet i dispositionell idrottsmindfulness. MAC hade ingen statistiskt signifikant effekt på prestation (själv- och tränarskattad) eller subskalan medvetenhet i dispositionell idrottsmindfulness. Uppföljande post-hoc test visade att deltagarna förändrats över tid i emotionsreglering och subskalan acceptans. Resultat visar att MAC har en effekt på vissa prestationsrelaterade utfall hos unga fotbollsspelare. / The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) intervention on sport-specific dispositional mindfulness, emotion regulation, and performance (self- and coach-rated) over time. Data were collected on aforementioned variables before, during, and after the intervention, which consisted of eight sessions. The participants in the study were academy football players (n = 32, Mage 17.06, SD = 0.72) from two different football teams. One-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed that MAC had a statistically significant effect on emotion regulation and the subscales acceptance and attention in sport-specific dispositional mindfulness. MAC did not have a statistically significant effect on performance (self- and coach-rated) or the awareness subscale in sport-specific dispositional mindfulness. Follow-up post-hoc tests indicated that participants changed over time in emotion regulation and the acceptance subscale. The results demonstrate that MAC has an impact on certain performance-related outcomes for young football players.

Forskning om sexuell hälsa utgår ofta från ett patologiskt perspektiv och sällan belyses att sex kan vara hälsofrämjande. Sexuell nöjdhet är en hälsofrämjande aspekt och kan beskrivas som en individs kognitiva och emotionella attityd gentemot den egna sexuella aktiviteten. Erfarenheter av nära relationer och förmågan att vara närvarande i stunden kan ha betydelse för dessa attityder. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka sambandet mellan vuxenanknytning, dispositionell mindfulness (dvs tendens att vara medvetet närvarande i vardagen) och sexuell nöjdhet hos svenska universitets- och högskolestudenter. Ett sekundärt syfte var att utvärdera psykometriska egenskaper hos den svenska översättningen av självskattningsformuläret Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ). Totalt 158 respondenter inkluderades i studien efter att via en digital enkät besvarat självskattningsformulären Erfarenheter av Nära Relationer (ENR), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ_SWE) och SSQ. Resultatet visade att samband förekommer mellan fenomenen samt indikerar att relationen mellan vuxenanknytning och sexuell nöjdhet medieras av dispositionell mindfulness. Resultatet tydde på att SSQ är ett reliabelt mätinstrument. Slutsatsen är att trygg anknytning och högre nivå av dispositionell mindfulness är associerat med högre nivå av sexuell nöjdhet. Lägre nivå av sexuell nöjdhet hos personer med mer anknytningsängslighet och/eller anknytningsundvikande tycks helt eller delvis kunna förklaras av att dessa individer också tenderar att vara mindre medvetet närvarande i vardagen. Resultatet bör utvärderas genom replikering och vidare studier bör undersöka andra aspekter som kan ha betydelse för sexuell nöjdhet. Huruvida mindfulness-baserade insatser skulle kunna ge positiva effekter på sexuell nöjdhet, särskilt för individer med otrygg anknytning, är en fråga för framtida forskning. / Research on sexual health is often based on a pathological perspective and rarely emphasize sex as health-promoting. Sexual satisfaction is one health-promoting aspect that can be described as an individuals’ cognitive and emotional attitudes towards their own sexual activity. Experiences of close relationships and the tendency to be mindful could be of significance to these attitudes.  This study aims to examine the relationship between adult attachment, dispositional mindfulness (i.e., tendency to be mindful in everyday life) and sexual satisfaction. A secondary aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ) in Swedish. A total of 158 respondents were included in this study after participating in an online survey containing the self-assessment questionnaires Erfarenheter av Nära Relationer (ENR), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ_SWE) and SSQ. The results showed correlations between the variables and that the relationship between adult attachment and sexual satisfaction appears to be mediated by dispositional mindfulness. The results indicate that SSQ is a reliable scale. In conclusion secure attachment and higher levels of dispositional mindfulness are associated with higher levels of sexual satisfaction. Lower sexual satisfaction among individuals with more attachment anxiety and/or avoidance could be explained by their tendency to be less mindful in everyday life. The results should be evaluated through replication and further studies ought to investigate other aspects that may be of significance for sexual satisfaction. Whether mindfulness-based interventions could have positive effects on sexual satisfaction, especially for individuals with insecure attachment, is an issue for future research.

Syftet med den föreliggande studien var att undersöka rollen av prestationsångest och ältande mellan dispositionell mindfulness och självskattad prestation. Det var totalt 53 idrottare (22 kvinnor, 31 män; Målder = 29.32, SD = 12.28 år) från 18 olika idrotter som deltog i studien. Studien var av kvantitativ longitudinell design (tre tillfällen under en fyra veckors period) där den oberoende variabeln, den beroende variabeln och två möjliga mediatorer undersöktes med hjälp av Athletic Mindfulness Questionnaire, Sport Performance Questionnaire, Sport Anxiety Scale-2, och Rumination Reflection Questionnaire. Resultaten visade ingen signifikant indirekt effekt av dispositionell mindfulness på självskattad prestation genom varken ältande eller prestationsångest. Resultaten indikerar att ältande och prestationsångest inte medierar förhållandet mellan dispositionell mindfulness och självskattad prestation i det undersökta urvalet. Det diskuteras att mindfulness ändrar förhållandet idrottaren har med ångesten istället för att sänka den upplevda nivån av ångest. Forskning om ältande som en mediator mellan mindfulness och prestation diskuteras som sällsynt, vilket kan göra kunskapen om förhållandet otillräckligt för att göra några bestämda uttalanden. Resultaten bör tolkas med försiktighet med tanke på att undersökningen gjordes på en heterogen grupp av idrottare med en subjektiv mått av prestation. Vidare forskning bör fokusera på en bestämd grupp och använda mer objektiva mått på prestation, samt använda ett idrottsspecifik instrument för att mäta ältande. Nyckelord: prestationsångest, dispositionell mindfulness, idrottsprestation, idrottare / The purpose of this study was to examine the role of sport-trait anxiety and rumination in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and self-assessed performance. A total of 53 athletes (22 women, 31 men; Mage = 29.32, SD = 12.28 years) from 18 different sports participated. A quantitative longitudinal design (three-time measures within a four-week period) was conducted wherein the independent and dependent variables, as well as the two potential mediators were measured using Athletic Mindfulness Questionnaire, Sport Performance Questionnaire, Sport Anxiety Scale-2, and Rumination Reflection Questionnaire. The results showed no significant indirect effect of dispositional mindfulness on self-assessed performance through neither sporttrait anxiety nor rumination. These findings indicate that sport-trait anxiety and rumination do not mediate the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and self-assessed performance in the examined sample. Mindfulness is discussed as altering the athlete’s relationship with anxiety rather than lowering the perceived levels of anxiety. Since research on rumination as a mediator between mindfulness and performance is very scarce, the knowledge about the relationship might be insufficient to make any decisive statements. Findings are to be taken with caution given the heterogeneous sample of athletes considered and the use of a subjective measure of performance. Further research should focus on a more targeted group and use a more objective performance measure, as well as a sport-specific rumination scale. Keywords: sport-specific anxiety, dispositional mindfulness, athletic performance, athlete

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of emotion regulation and rumination in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and self-assessed performance. A total of 89 soccer players (72 male, 17 women; Mage = 28.75, SD =3.283 years) participated. A quantitative longitudinal design (three-time measures within a four-week period) was conducted where the independent and dependent variables, as well as the two potential mediators were measured using Rumination Reflection Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Athlete Mindfulness Questionnaire and Sport Performance Questionnaire. The results showed a significant indirect effect of dispositional mindfulness on self-assessed performance through both emotion regulation and rumination. These findings indicate that emotion regulation and rumination mediate the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and self-assessed performance in the examined sample. Findings are to be taken with caution given the homogeneous sample of athletes considered and the use of a subjective measure of performance. Further research should focus on a more targeted group and use a more objective performance measure, as well as a sport specific rumination scale. / Syftet med den föreliggande studien var att undersöka rollen av emotionsreglering och ältande mellan dispositionell mindfulness and självskattad idrottsprestation. Totalt 89 fotbollsspelare (72 män, 17 kvinnor; Målder = 28.75, SD = 12.28 år) deltog i studien. Studien var av kvantitativ longitudinell design (tre mättillfällen under en fyra veckors period) där den oberoende variabeln, den beroende variabeln och två potentiella mediatorer undersöktes med hjälp av Rumination Reflection Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Athlete Mindfulness Questionnaire och Sport Performance Questionnaire. Resultaten visade signifikant indirekt effekt av dispositionell mindfulness på självskattad idrottsprestation genom både ältande och emotionsreglering. Resultaten indikerar att ältande och emotionsreglering medierar förhållandet mellan dispositionell mindfulness och självskattad idrottsprestation i det undersökta urvalet. Det diskuteras att atleter med karaktärsdrag att vara medvetna dagligen är mer benägna att effektivt reglera deras negativa emotioner. Det diskuteras dessutom att atleter med en högre grad av ältande tankar har mer negativ idrottsprestation än atleter med lägre grad av ältande tankar. Resultaten bör tolkas med försiktighet med tanke på att undersökningen gjordes på en homogen grupp av fotbollsspelare med ett subjektivt mått av prestation. Framtida forskning bör fokusera på en mer bestämd grupp för att öka reliabiliteten och använda mer objektiva mått på prestation, samt använda ett idrottsspecifikt instrument för att mäta ältande.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dispositional mindfulness moderates the relationship between autonomous motivation and training frequency. The study conducted was a cross sectional study in the form of a digital questionnaire survey, in which the participants filled in three different self assessment questionnaires that measured dispositional mindfulness (FFMQ), Autonomous motivation (BREQ-4) and average training frequency during a 7-day period (GODIN). The selection of participants consisted of 134 individuals (73.9% women and 26.1% men) between the ages of 18-58 (M = 39.61; SD = 11.6). The result of the study was non-significant, which indicates that dispositional mindfulness does not moderate the relationship between autonomous motivation and training frequency. The relationship between these three variables is in previous studies relatively underrepresented, therefore more studies (e.g. experimental and longitudinal studies) should be conducted to be able to draw a definitive conclusion about the effect mindfulness has on the relationship between motivation and training frequency. Since this study diminishes the statement of training frequency being positively affected by mindfulness, future studies could suggestively shift focus and conduct deeper investigations about whether mindfulness affects other aspects of training (e.g. performance or regulation of emotions). This study does not indicate any practical implications, but in the long term, the result of this study could be used as a building block to conclude how mindfulness could be a useful and low-cost tool for sustainable practice of physical activity in the long term, which WHO (2020) demands. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka huruvida dispositionell mindfulness kan moderera självbestämmande motivation gentemot motionsmängd. Undersökningen som genomfördes var en digital enkätundersökning i tvärsnittsdesign, där samtliga deltagare under ett tillfälle fyllde i tre olika formulär som representerade respektive variabel, det vill säga dispositionell mindfulness (FFMQ), självbestämmande motivation (BREQ-4) och genomsnittlig motionsmängd på en sju dagars-period (GODIN). Urvalet bestod av 134 individer (73,9% kvinnor och 26.1% män) mellan åldrarna 18-58 (M = 39.61; SD = 11.6). Resultatet blev icke-signifikant, vilket indikerar att dispositionell mindfulness inte modererar relationen mellan självbestämmande motion och motionsmängd. Denna relation mellan dessa tre specifika variabler är relativt outforskad, därav behövs fler framtida studier i form av exempelvis experimentella och longitudinella studier för att kunna dra en definitiv slutats kring mindfulness effekt på relationen mellan motivation och motionsmängd. Eftersom denna studie försvagar påståendet att just motionsmängd blir positivt påverkat av mindfulness, kan framtida studier förslagsvis skifta fokus och djupare undersöka huruvida mindfulness påverkar andra aspekter av motion, exempelvis prestation eller emotionsreglering. Denna studie ger inga direkta praktiska implikationer, men långsiktigt kan detta resultat agera som en byggsten kring huruvida mindfulness eventuellt kan användas som ett hjälpmedel till vad WHO (2020) efterfrågar, nämligen ett priseffektivt verktyg till främjandet av långsiktigt och hållbart utövande av fysisk aktivitet.