MSW 517 Module 8 A Globally Aware Social Work Philosophy

1

Part 1: Mindfulness Intervention Research

Student's Name:

Course:

Instructor's Name:

Date:

Introduction

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is used to enhance the emotional stability of trauma victims. It is also used to mitigate stress among employees working in stressful conditions, such as nurses. Through MBSR, clients learn to take charge of their emotions, physical sensations, and actions and refrain from self-criticism. Some practices involved in mindfulness training are breathing practices, yoga, and meditation. The mind is trained to focus on things that promote the self. The technique is pivotal in addressing traumatic stress because it allows clients to deal with difficult situations. It enhances individual awareness, self-compassion, and self-regulation.

The research paper focuses on the published articles on Mindfulness intervention in mitigating traumatizing conditions. The selected population is sexual abuse survivors. Sexual abuse survivors experience trauma after the incident and criticize themselves for what happened. They develop low self-esteem and perceive themselves as unable to take control of their environment. The literature review will establish how different MBSR approaches have addressed trauma among the population. The goal is to identify the gaps in the studies and address them.

Research Question

Is mind-body practice intervention effective in reducing PTSD symptoms among sexual abuse survivors?

Literature Review

The literature review analyzes various MBSR interventions addressing trauma among sexual abuse survivors. The studies have assessed the effectiveness of different mindfulness interventions such as meditation, mind bond practices, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Also, the analyzed studies use different research methods, data collection approaches, and research participants. The review aims to understand the various mindfulness interventions' effectiveness in treating PTSD symptoms. The particular focus is on mind-body practice intervention.

Scholars have published various articles on the mindfulness-based stress reduction approach. (Kimbrough et al., 2009) assessed the effectiveness of mindfulness intervention on child abuse survivors. The study consisted of 27 adult survivors who had been victims of sexual abuse during their childhood. The type of mindfulness intervention used was meditation-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The meditation training program was undertaken in 8 weeks. The participants also undertook three refresher follow-up classes at 24 weeks (Kimbrough et al., 2009). The participants were assessed for depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and mindfulness at four weeks, 8, and 24 weeks (Kimbrough et al., 2009). The results showed that the depressive symptoms had declined by 65% at eight weeks, and statistical significance was observed in all outcomes.

The study is crucial for the research paper in many ways. First, the authors studied mindfulness intervention for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (Kimbrough et al., 2009). Secondly, the authors used the meditation mindfulness approach. Meditation is one of the various forms of mindfulness intervention. The data analysis results show that meditation training helps in improving the emotional stability of sexual abuse survivors (Kimbrough et al., 2009). The study's weakness is using a small sample size whose results could be invalid. The article reveals how different mindfulness training approaches reduce trauma for the research.

A different study was done by (Burrows 2013). The author focused on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) form of mindfulness intervention. The study involved one adult participant who was a victim of sexual abuse. The study aimed to determine the efficacy of ACT with trauma survivors suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The study results showed that ACT was highly impactful in mitigating experiential avoidance and thought suppression (Burrows, 2013). It also increased the feeling of personal worth and enhanced self-awareness. The study is vital in expanding the knowledge of various mindfulness interventions in reducing stress. Its focus was on the ACT, one of the various forms of mindfulness intervention. However, the author uses one participant, which could invalidate the findings.

The researchers analyzed the effectiveness of their approaches in reducing PTSD symptoms among survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The study differs from the one conducted by (Kimbrough et al., 2009). While the author evaluated the efficacy of ACT in reducing PTSD symptoms, (Kimbrough et al., 2009) analyzed the effectiveness of meditation stress reduction on PTSD. Secondly, the study by (Kimbrough et al., 2009) had 27 adult participants, while (Burrows, 2013) used one participant. However, both studies had the same population and findings. Both forms of mindfulness interventions (ACT and meditation training) proved to effectively mitigate the impacts of stress.

Another form of mindfulness intervention is yoga. Many studies have explored the effectiveness of yoga sessions in reducing PTSD symptoms among different populations. In particular, (Crews et al., 2016) researched the use of yoga to build self-compassion as a healing method for survivors of sexual violence. The study was qualitative and involved eight female survivors of sexual violence. The participants were aged between 13 and60 years old that were selected through convenience sampling. Participation was voluntary, and participants were allowed to withdraw at any point. In the yoga sessions, the participants posed their bodies that appealed to them and were allowed to rest anytime. Data from participants were collected using interviews and analyzed using the self-compassion model. The findings revealed that yoga sessions effectively reduce PSTD symptoms and bolster emotional stability. The authors found that through yoga, the women who had dissociated their body from mind changed their attitude and rediscovered their worth. The study's only limitation is convenience sampling that resulted in the use of participants from one agency. Future studies should incorporate diversity in the study. In terms of relevance, the study's findings are crucial in advocating for yoga practices.

The study compares differently with other reviewed articles. (Crews et al., 2016) analyzed the effectiveness of yoga sessions in reducing PTSD while (Burrows, 2013) focused on the ACT approach. On the other hand, (Kimbrough et al., 2009) use the meditation approach. The nature of participants also differs. The study by (Crew et al., 2016) used both children and adults, while (Burrows, 2013; Kimbrough et al., 2009) used adult participants only.

Nevertheless, the studies show that mindfulness interventions effectively reduce trauma among the victims. Participants subjected to ACT, meditation and yoga indicated increased mental stability and emotional awareness. The findings prove the robustness of mindfulness interventions suppressing the impacts of PTSD.

More studies on yoga practices and their usefulness in treating PTSD have been published. (Van der Kolk et al., 2014) researched the efficacy of yoga in treating PTSD using a randomized control trial study methodology. The participants were women who had survived other interpersonal violence such as sexual abuse. The study involved 60 participants assigned randomly to either trauma-informed yoga or supportive women's health education (Van der Kolk et al., 2014). They attended either session once per week for ten weeks, and each session took one hour. The outcomes for both groups were measured using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. After the intervention period, 52%) in the yoga group no longer met the criteria for PTSD compared to 6 of 29 (21%) in the control group (Van der Kolk et al., 2014). However, there was a significant decrease in PTSD disorders. The findings show that yoga practice significantly decreases PTSD symptoms among survivors of sexual abuse. The findings align with other studies showing reduced PTSD symptoms after mindfulness interventions are implemented (Crews et al., 2016; Kimbrough et al., 2009; Kim et al., 2013).

Mindfulness interventions are also used to help women who succumb to sexual abuse due to the nature of their abuse. In particular, women who serve in the military are exposed to sexual abuse. (Braun et al., 2021) researched the effectiveness of trauma-informed yoga in helping veteran women survivors of sexual abuse. The study comprised of women survivors of sexual abuse in the military. The study was conducted at the New England Vet Center in the United States. The authors used the Mindful Yoga Therapy intervention to deal with PTSD symptoms after sexual abuse. The results showed that women participants embraced Mindful Yoga Therapy (MYT) in dealing with traumatic experiences. They reported improved self-compassion and awareness after the MYT. The MYT sessions are therefore essential in improving survivors' self-awareness and compassion. The study's findings are relevant for the research paper as they contribute to the general knowledge on the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in reducing PTSD symptoms.

The study findings are similar to those of other scholars. All the authors accept that mindfulness interventions such as yoga and meditation can reduce PTSD symptoms, promoting self-awareness and compassion among sexual abuse survivors. However, like other studies, (Braun et al., 2021) used a smaller sample size to conduct the study. Also, there is a lack of diversity in participants. They are all women from the military. Further research studies should consider the effectiveness of the yoga practice in reducing stress among participants of diverse work settings.

Mind-body practice interventions also help to mitigate the impacts of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. These practices focus on activities that engage the mind to impact physical functioning and improve health. (Kim et al., 2013) conducted a systematic review of various studies on mind-body practice to determine the efficacy of the intervention in dealing with PTSD. The articles included in their study were retrieved from PubMed, PsycINFO, and Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress academic databases (Kim et al., 2013). Some of the authors analyzed mind-body practices are yoga, tai chi, qigong, mindfulness-based stress reduction, meditation, and deep breathing, as interventions for PTSD (Kim et al., 2013). A total of 16 studies were eligible for the research. They found that most of the published articles showed that mind-body practices effectively reduce PTSD symptoms such as anxiety and aggression. The study helps understand the different practices that can be implemented to deal with PTSD among sexual abuse survivors (Kim et al., 2013). The systematic review findings agree with other studies on the role of mind-body practice in helping sexual abuse survivors.

Summary of the Literature Review and Main Gaps

There are various mindfulness interventions. They include mind-body practices, ACT, and meditation, among others. The studies show that mindfulness interventions significantly decrease PTSD symptoms among sexual abuse survivors. Therefore, social workers and organizations can implement mindfulness interventions to deal with PTSD symptoms. One of the gaps identified from the review of various articles is smaller sample sizes. There is a need for studies that can use more participants to make their findings more robust. Also, studies using different research methodologies besides randomized control trials are needed to support further the usefulness of mindfulness interventions in reducing PTSD symptoms.

References

Braun, T. D., Uebelacker, L. A., Ward, M., Holzhauer, C. G., McCallister, K., & Abrantes, A. (2021). “we really need this”: Trauma-informed yoga for veteran women with a history of military sexual trauma. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 59, 102729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102729

Burrows, C. J. (2013). Acceptance and commitment therapy with survivors of adult sexual assault. Clinical Case Studies, 12(3), 246–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534650113479652

Crews, D. A., Stolz-Newton, M., & Grant, N. S. (2016). The use of yoga to build self-compassion as a healing method for survivors of sexual violence. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 35(3), 139–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2015.1067583

Kim, S. H., Schneider, S. M., Kravitz, L., Mermier, C., & Burge, M. R. (2013). Mind-body practices for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Investigative Medicine, 61(5), 827–834. https://doi.org/10.2310/jim.0b013e3182906862

Kimbrough, E., Magyari, T., Langenberg, P., Chesney, M., & Berman, B. (2009). Mindfulness intervention for child abuse survivors. Journal of Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20624

Van der Kolk, B. A., Stone, L., West, J., Rhodes, A., Emerson, D., Suvak, M., & Spinazzola, J. (2014). Yoga as an adjunctive treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 75(06). https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.13m08561