The relationship between mindfulness, spiritual well‐being and chronic depression: Different predictors in distinct phases of treatment

• Published in: Counselling and psychotherapy research 2019-06, Vol.19 (2), p.138-148
• Main Authors: Ramadas, Eduardo, Simões, Sónia Catarina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: chronic depression; Mental depression; Mental health; Mindfulness; Quantitative psychology; spiritual well‐being; Spirituality; treatment
• ISSN: 1473-3145; 1746-1405
• DOI: 10.1002/capr.12205

Objective This study sought to analyse the relationship between mindfulness, spiritual well‐being and chronic depression, together with the possible predictive power of the independent variables, during and after a therapeutic intervention. Clients were treated in a residential therapeutic unit for a period of 3–6 months. Method The research sample consisted of 63 patients, 28 females and 35 males, between 15 and 57 years old (M = 32.84, SD = 10.24), separated into two groups: residential phase (In‐Treatment) and after termination of treatment (Post‐Treatment). The In‐Treatment group included 32 participants halfway into treatment, and the Post‐Treatment group included 31 participants who had concluded the intervention at least 1 year previously. All the clients had been diagnosed with chronic depression disorder. The instruments used were as follows: the Beck Depression Inventory‐II, the Five facet mindfulness questionnaire and the spiritual well‐being questionnaire. Results Mindfulness dimensions are more relevant during treatment, contrary to spiritual well‐being dimensions. There were significant negative associations between mindfulness and depression in the In‐Treatment group. In the Post‐Treatment group, there were significant negative associations between all the spiritual dimensions (barring the transcendental dimension) and depression. The non‐reactivity dimension of mindfulness was a significant predictor of depression in the In‐Treatment group, while the environmental dimension of spiritual well‐being was a significant predictor in the Post‐Treatment group. Conclusion The results support the known associations between the studied variables, but indicate that in different phases of treatments, mindfulness and spiritual well‐being have a different impact.