Mindfulness training supported by a restorative natural setting: Integrating individual and environmental approaches to the management of adaptive resources

SND-ID: 2020-17

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Freddie Lymeus - Uppsala University, Department of Psychology

Terry Hartig - Uppsala University, Institute for Housing and Urban Research

Per Lindberg - Uppsala University, Department of Psychology

Description

This project integrates restorative environments research and mindfulness research: two disparate but related approaches to managing the demands of modern living. Both offer ways to improve attention regulation by detaching from routine mental contents and engaging with present experience. However, restoration works bottom-up, from supportive environmental features, while mindfulness meditation works top-down, through effortful training. Complementarities between the two are the foundations of restoration skills training (ReST), a five-week mindfulness-based course that uses mindful sensory exploration in a natural setting to build a meditative state effortlessly. As in conventional mindfulness training (CMT), ReST involves a learning structure to teach versatile adaptive skills. Data were collected in four rounds, with successively refined versions of ReST given in a botanic garden and formally matched CMT given indoors. Data were collected to test short-term outcomes of practice sessions and long-term course outcomes.

Language

English

Research principal, contributors, and funding

Research principal

Uppsala University

Responsible department/unit

Department of Psychology

Protection and ethical review

Data contains personal data

Yes

Sensitive personal data

Yes

Type of personal data

Pseudonymized data with information about health status on individual level.

Code key exists

Yes

Ethics Review

Uppsala - Ref. 2013/033

Method and time period

Unit of analysis

Population

University students with stress or concentration problems

Time Method

Sampling procedure

Non-probability: Availability
In each data collection round, we posted flyers in several areas of our university campus, asking for volunteers for a study about mindfulness training. We particularly stated that we sought students with self-perceived stress or concentration problems but no other major health issues and with little or no meditation experience. Volunteers were called to a screening interview that included the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (Lecrubier et al., 1997). Criteria for exclusion were based on Dobkin et al. (2012): We excluded those who indicated a history of neuropsychiatric disorder, psychoses, hypomanic or manic episodes or recurring depression, moderate to severe post-traumatic stress symptoms, serious self-harm, or suicide attempts; and those with any current moderate to severe psychiatric disorders, suicidal ideation, or ongoing psychological or psychiatric treatment.
For the passive control condition in data collection round 4, we approached students in the campus environment asking for volunteers for a study. To be eligible, they had to certify that they had no major health issues and little or no meditation experience.
Within each data collection round, eligible mindfulness training volunteers who provided informed consent to participate were stratified by gender and randomly assigned to either ReST or CMT. Altogether, 159 participants were assigned. Of them, 152 provided usable pre-course data. Additionally, 29 control group participants who provided informed consent were included in Round 4.
In Round 1, the course participants could be accommodated in one ReST and one CMT course group. In the later rounds, which recruited larger numbers, participants were accommodated in multiple course groups of ≤12 participants. These met on different weekdays. Participants self-selected a course group that fit their schedule and could not switch groups during the course. Participation in the courses was free of charge. Participants could drop out at any time without facing any further requests or consequences. They were, however, promised three cinema tickets if they completed the course and all measurements in connection with the course. The control group participants were also promised three cinema tickets for completing all measurements.
The mindfulness training participants who completed the courses in data collection rounds 2-4 were contacted again six months after the course and asked to complete follow-up assessments.

Time period(s) investigated

2013 – 2017

Geographic coverage

Geographic spread

Geographic location: Sweden

Geographic description: Botanical Gardens of Uppsala, Uppsala Linnaean Gardens

Publications

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Lymeus, F., Ahrling, M., Apelman, J., Florin, C. de M., Nilsson, C., Vincenti, J., Zetterberg, A., Lindberg, P., & Hartig, T. (2020). Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Psychological functioning after a five-week course. Frontiers in Psychology.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01560

Lymeus, F., White, M.P., Lindberg, P., Hartig, T. (2022). Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Sustained advantages at a 6-month follow-up. Frontiers in Psychology
:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.763650

If you have published anything based on these data, please notify us with a reference to your publication(s). If you are responsible for the catalogue entry, you can update the metadata/data description in DORIS.

Dataset 1
Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Psychological functioning after a five-week course

Description

These data form the basis of the analyses presented in (Lymeus et al. (2020) Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Psychological functioning after a five-week course. Frontiers in Psychology). Some of these data were reused by (Lymeus et al. (2022) Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Sustained advantages at a 6-month follow-up. Fr

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Version 1

Citation

Freddie Lymeus, Terry Hartig, Per Lindberg. Uppsala University (2020). Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Psychological functioning after a five-week course. Swedish National Data Service. Version 1. https://doi.org/10.5878/p34t-9j15

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Data format / data structure

Numeric

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Freddie Lymeus - Uppsala University, Department of Psychology

Terry Hartig - Uppsala University, Institute for Housing and Urban Research

Per Lindberg - Uppsala University, Department of Psychology

Time period(s) investigated

2013-01 – 2017-12

Data collection

  • Mode of collection: Self-administered questionnaire
  • Time period(s) for data collection: 2013–2017
  • Data collector: Uppsala University
  • Source of the data: Research data: Published

Variables

30

Number of individuals/objects

181

Response rate/participation rate

74%

Altogether, 159 participants were assigned to either of the mindfulness-based courses. Of them, 152 provided usable pre-course data. Of the 113 participants who completed the courses, 105 (93%;ReST n = 56, CMT n = 49) also completed the assessments directly after the course. Additionally, 29 control group participants were included in Round 4, all of whom completed the assessments before and after the course.

Dataset 2
Restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Sustained advantages at a 6-month follow-up

Description

These data form the basis of the analyses presented in (Lymeus et al. (2022) Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Sustained advantages at a 6-month follow-up. Frontiers in Psychology). Note that some variables (marked T1 and T2) are also available in a related dataset (https://doi.org/10.5878/p34t-9j15) and were used in (Lymeus et al. (2020) Mindfulness-based restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural settin

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Version 1

Citation

Freddie Lymeus, Terry Hartig, Per Lindberg. Uppsala University (2023). Restoration skills training (ReST) in a natural setting compared to conventional mindfulness training: Sustained advantages at a 6-month follow-up. Swedish National Data Service. Version 1. https://doi.org/10.5878/prw6-k648

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Data format / data structure

Numeric

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Freddie Lymeus - Uppsala University, Department of Psychology

Terry Hartig - Uppsala University, Institute for Housing and Urban Research

Per Lindberg - Uppsala University, Department of Psychology

Time period(s) investigated

2013-01-01 – 2017-12-31

Data collection

  • Mode of collection: Self-administered questionnaire: web based
  • Description of the mode of collection: Surveys completed online
  • Time period(s) for data collection: 2013-01–2017-12
  • Data collector: Uppsala University
  • Instrument: Perceived Stress Scale (Structured questionnaire) - Cohen et al. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396.
  • Instrument: Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Structured questionnaire) - Baer et al. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13(1), 27–45.)
  • Instrument: Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (Structured questionnaire) - Broadbent et al. (1982). The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and its correlates. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21(1), 1–16.
  • Sample size: 97
  • Number of responses: 68
  • Non response size: 29
  • Source of the data: Research data: Published

Variables

43

Number of individuals/objects

97

Response rate/participation rate

70%

Out of 97 contacted former mindfulness course participants, 67 responded to the six-month follow-up survey and the rest were included in analyses following multiple imputation of the missing data.

Published: 2020-08-10
Last updated: 2023-03-09