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Measuring Mindfulness in Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and Meditation-Based Psychotherapy: The Development of the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI)

Authors:
  • Universitätsspital Basel (University Hospital Basel)
  • Kazimieras Simonavicius University
... Research has shown good construct and criterion validity and acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.73 for employee version) [37]. Mindfulness is assessed using the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory [38,39] German revised version 13-r [40]. The scale consists of 13 items that can be rated on a scale ranging from 1 = rarely to 4 = almost always with higher scores indicating more mindfulness. ...
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Background Healthcare professionals in hospitals are exposed to a high level of professional stress, time pressure, workload, and often times poor organizational support. This makes them especially susceptible to burnout. In this pragmatic randomized controlled trial, we test the hypothesis that participation in a 9-week program (LAGOM) that was designed in close collaboration with healthcare professionals, incorporating both individual and organizational aspects reduces emotional exhaustion in healthcare professionals (primary outcome). Methods Eighty four nurses and physicians working at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Immanuel Hospital Berlin are automatically randomized to the LAGOM program (n = 42) or to usual care (n = 42) in a one-to-one allocation rate. The primary outcome emotional exhaustion is measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory—Human Services Survey at baseline, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up via an online survey. Secondary outcomes include depersonalization, personal accomplishment, subjective stress, mental well-being, self-care, self-efficacy, working conditions, mindfulness, and adverse events. Electrophysiological measures for heart rate variation analysis are captured. The PRECIS-2 tool is used to characterize the degree of pragmatism in our trial. Data analysis and primary intention-to-treat analysis using repeated measures analysis of variance are performed blind to intervention allocation. Per-protocol, subgroup, and secondary outcome analyses are conducted exploratively. An advisory board consisting of various stakeholders accompanies the study process. Discussion If LAGOM proves to be effective in reducing symptoms of burnout, the program could make an important contribution to tackling the problem of the very high burnout rates among healthcare professionals and become an integral part of preventive services offered by hospitals. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00034060. Registered 31 May 2024.
... Various tools can be used to assess the qualities of mindfulness [34]. The questionnaire used in this project is the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) developed in 2001 [35], which provides a self-assessment of a subject's aptitude for 'mindfulness' in daily life. Its brief 14-item version [36] has been validated in French [37]. ...
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Background In oncology, the suffering of patients and the burnout of health professionals are key issues. Mindfulness meditation is a holistic approach that can help to improve well-being. While numerous studies have shown the benefits of meditation for both patients and health professionals, the added value of offering shared meditation to groups of patients, health professionals and third persons has not been assessed. Beyond strengthening the relationship between carers and patients, opening up meditation sessions to third parties (neither carers nor patients) enables patients to escape the stigma of their illness. We previously conducted a pilot study that validated the feasibility and the relevance of shared meditation with a specifically designed programme. Methods/Design IMPLIC-2 is a two-arm randomised study designed to assess the added value of this meditation programme (optimised following the pilot study), particularly for cancer patients (our target population). People motivated to follow the programme, without previous regular practice of meditation and able to participate in the sessions are eligible. The study will include 96 participants: 16 health professionals, 16 third persons and 64 patients. The latter will be randomized in two arms: the experimental arm (“Shared” meditation) consisting of 4 mixed groups of 8 patients, 4 health professionals and 4 third parties, and the control arm (“Patient” meditation) consisting of 2 groups of 16 patients. Validated questionnaires will be used to measure the effects of the programme, notably in terms of quality of life, perceived stress, feelings of self-efficacy, qualities of mindfulness and self-compassion, and carers’ burn-out. Participants' perception of a change in their quality of life and satisfaction will be measured at the end of the programme. A complementary qualitative focus-group approach will be used to optimise implementation of the programme beyond the study. Discussion The well-being of oncology patients would be improved. Dealing with overworked carers would have a beneficial impact on the way they interact with patients. In addition, encounters between the three types of population will allow otherness to be viewed differently and alleviate suffering by promoting collective humanity. Trial Registration NCT06041607, registered: 09/18/2023. Protocol version Version n°1.2 dated from 08/29/2023.
... It is sensitive to change and can also be used with subjects without previous meditation experience (Walach et al., 2006). The initial form of the FMI had 30 items (Buchheld, Grossman, & Walach, 2001), but a later study refined it and made a short version comprising 14 items, such as, "I am open to the experience of the present moment," evaluated with a 4-point scale (Rarely, Occasionally, Fairly often, or Almost always) (Walach et al., 2006). The FMI has been used to measure the effects of mindfulness-based therapies or programs (Foley, Baillie, Huxter, Price, & Sinclair, 2010;Keune, Bostanov, Hautzinger, & Kotchoubey, 2011;Neff & Germer, 2013), but as far as we know, our present study was the first to use it to assess the effects of listening to natural sounds. ...
... The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, validated in Lebanon, 90 is composed of 14 items describing all aspects of mindfulness such as attention to the present moment; nonjudgmental attitude; openness to one's sensations, emotions, and thoughts; and insightful understanding. 91 This instrument is used to characterize the person's experience of mindfulness. Each item is scored based on a 4-point Likert scale with 1 = rarely and 4 = always. ...
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