The concept of mindfulness: nonspecific factor of psychological wellbeing

During the last decades the growing interest in the study of the concept of mindfulness as a psychological construct and a form of psychotherapeutic intervention for the prevention and treatment of various mental disorders has become prominent in the foreign literature. On the basis of empirical evidence the article describes the positive effects of psychological awareness, including an increase of the subjective well-being, satisfaction with interpersonal relationships, improvement of some cognitive performance (working memory, executive functions), decline in cognitive and emotional reactivity. The article gives a description of the presumed neurobiological correlates of awareness and formulate the general perspective for further research.

1. Brown K.W., Ryan R.M. The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003. Vol. 84, pp. 822–848.
2. Brown K.W., Ryan R.M., Creswell J.D. Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 2009. Vol. 18, pp. 211–237.
3. Burke С. Mindfulness-Based Approaches with Children and Adolescents: A Preliminary Review of Current Research in an Emergent Field. J Child Fam Stud, 2010. Vol. 19, pp. 133–144.
4. Chiesa A., Serretti A. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy for psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 2001. Vol. 187, pp. 441–453.
5. Clinical handbook of mindfulness. Didonna F. (Ed.). New York: Springer, 2009.
6. Cognitive reactivity to sad mood provocation and  the prediction of depressive relapse. Segal Z.V., Kennedy S., Gemar M., Hood K. et al. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2006. Vol. 63, pp. 749–755.
7. Dispositional mindfulness and depressive symptomatology: Correlations with limbic and selfreferential neural activity during rest. Way B.M., Creswell J.D., Eisenberger N.I., Lieberman M.D. Emotion, 2010. Vol. 10, pp. 12–24.
8. Effects of Mindfulness on Meta-Awareness and Specificity of Describing Prodromal Symptoms in Suicidal Depression. Hargus E., Crane C., Barnhofer T., Williams J. Emotion, 2010. Vol. 10, pp. 34–42.
9. Evans D.R., Baer R.A., Segerstrom S.C. The effects of mindfulness and selfconsciousness on persistence. Personality and Individual Differences, 2009. Vol. 47, pp. 379–382.
10. Giluk T.L. Mindfulness, big five personality, and affect: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 2009. Vol. 47, pp. 805–811.
11. How does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy work? Kuyken W., Watkins E., Holden E. et al. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2010. Vol. 48, pp. 1105–1112.
12. Kabat-Zinn J. Full catastrophe living: The program of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. New York: Delta, 1990.
13. Keng S., Smoski M., Robins C. Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 2011. Vol. 31, pp. 1041–1056.
14. Mindfulness and reduced cognitive reactivity to sad mood: Evidence from a correlational study and a non-randomized waiting list controlled study. Raes F., Dewulf D., Van Heeringen C., Williams J. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2009. Vol. 47, pp. 623–627.
15. Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Zeidan F., Johnson S.K., Diamond B.J. et al. Consciousness and Cognition, 2010. Vol. 19, pp. 597–605.
16. Mindfulness skills and interpersonal behavior. Dekeyser M., Raes F., Leijssen M., Leysen S., Dewulf D. Personality and Individual Differences, 2008. Vol. 44, pp. 1235–1245.
17. Neuralcorrelates of dispositional mindfulness during affect labeling. Creswell J.D., Way B.M., Eisenberger N.I., Lieberman M.D. Psychosomatic Medicine, 2007. Vol. 69, pp. 560–565.
18. Nolen-Hoeksema S. The role of rumination in depressive disorders and mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2000. Vol. 109, pp. 504–511.
19. Ostafin B.D., Kassman K.T. Stepping out of history: Mindfulness improves insight problem solving. Consciousness and Cognition, 2012. Vol. 21, pp. 1031–1036.
20. Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Teasdale J.D, Segal Z.V., Williams J. et al. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2000. Vol. 68, pp. 615–623.
21. Schmertz S.K., Anderson P.L., Robins D.L. The relation between self-report mindfulness and performance on tasks of sustained attention. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 2009. Vol. 31, pp. 60–66.
22. Segal Z.V., Williams J., Teasdale J.D. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: Guilford Press, 2002.
23. Teasdale J.D., Segal Z., Williams J. How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) training help. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1995. Vol. 33, P. 25–39.
24. Williams J., Swales M. The use of mindfulness-based approaches for suicidal patients. Archives of Suicide Research, 2004. Vol. 8, pp. 315–329.
25. Work-Related Mental Health and Job Performance: Can Mindfulness Help? Gordon W., Shonin E., Zangeneh M., Griffiths M. Int J Ment Health Addiction, 2014. Vol. 12, pp. 129–137.