An Interpersonal Approach to Mindfulness Practice
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2021-07-02
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en
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Abstract
Many individuals who wish to practice mindfulness do not necessarily follow through on this
intention. This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that there is limited research on the factors
affecting engagement in mindfulness practice. More specifically, the effectiveness of having a
practice companion on increasing the amount of mindfulness practice has yet to be investigated,
despite companion-based interventions being relatively successful in increasing behaviour in other
health and wellness domains. It is hypothesized that having a mindfulness buddy leads to a greater
amount of time spent practicing. 100 participants were randomly assigned to either a control group
(practice alone) or an experimental group (practice together) in a between-subjects experimental
study, in which participants undertook a 5 week Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) either
alone or with a mindfulness buddy. There was no difference in the average total number of minutes
spent meditating between participants in the practice alone and practice together group. The
strength of the behavioural intention to practice did however, moderate the relationship between
the group type and the time spent meditating. The implications of these findings for improving
participation in MBIs are explored, as well as the limitations of this study, and suggestions for
future research are proposed.
Keywords: Mindfulness, Mindfulness-Based Intervention, Practice, Companion, Buddy
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen