4 - (SYM 44) Efficacy of an Adapted Self-guided Mindfulness and Self-compassion Intervention (Mind-OP+) to Increase Connectedness: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: People have a fundamental need for connectedness and belonging. Researchers have consistently found connectedness to be associated with reduced psychological disorder symptoms, increased wellbeing, and higher engagement in prosocial behaviour. Cultivation of connectedness may confer resilience to adversity. Dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion are positively associated with feelings of connectedness. Accordingly, interventions designed to cultivate these capacities, such as Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs), may be adapted to specifically cultivate feelings of connectedness. Brief, self-guided MBIs appear efficacious for symptoms of several psychological disorders. Such interventions are attractive since they address several barriers to access. We conducted a randomized waitlist-controlled trial to examine the preliminary efficacy of a self-guided second-generation MBI (Mind-OP; Beshai et al., 2020) augmented to target feelings of connectedness among student participants.
Methods: We developed a module consisting of videos and guided meditations focused on: a) psychoeducation around connectedness; b) cultivation of a sense of common humanity in suffering; and c) cultivation of mindfulness around awe as linked to connectedness through use of imagery.  This fifth module augmented the four-week Mind-OP intervention (Beshai et al., 2020). A total of 117 students (M_age = 22.84; 83.8% Cis women) were randomized into the Mind-OP+ condition (n = 62) or waitlist condition (n = 55). Intent-to-treat, mixed linear analyses compared reported changes across conditions on measures of connectedness and psychological disorder symptoms one week post-treatment and at 1-month follow-up.
Results: Participants randomized to the Mind-OP+ condition reported significantly higher connectedness scores post-treatment (d = 0.54), and at 1-month follow-up (d = 0.51) compared to waitlist participants. Participants also reported higher relatedness scores post-treatment (d = 0.48). Participants in Mind-OP+ also reported significantly lower psychological disorder symptoms post-treatment (d = 0.41) and at 1-month follow-up (d = 0.69).

Conclusions: These findings provide support for the efficacy of targeting this multi-pronged protective factor of connectedness using brief, augmented self-guided MBIs. Larger, more definitive trials using active controls are needed to ascertain the incremental value of adaptation and augmentation over standard interventions.