The Role of Anchoring and Distraction in the Effectiveness of Mindfulness on Reducing Emotional Reactivity

Primary outcomes

1. Brain activation during the emotion care/regulation task

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline)

   BOLD signal contrast when the participants performing an emotion counting Stroop task.

2. Reaction time during the emotion care/regulation task

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline)

   Reaction time of the correct response in the emotion counting Stroop task.

3. Accuracy during the emotion care/regulation task

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline)

   Accuracy of the emotion counting Stroop task.

4. Mindfulness

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline), Follow-up (22-24 weeks after baseline)

   The mean score of Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R, Feldman, Hayes, Kumar, Greeson, & Laurenceau, 2007) is a self-report 5-point Likert scale measuring individual differences in mindfulness that includes 12 items. The mean score ranged from 1 to 5. A higher score means a higher level of mindfulness, i.e. an expected outcome from an effective mindfulness intervention.

5. Psychological well-being

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline), Follow-up (22-24 weeks after baseline)

   The mean score of Psychological Well-being Scale (PWBS; Ryff et al., 1995) includes 18 items measuring 6 aspects of wellbeing and happiness: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Participants used a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = highly disagree to 5 = highly agree, to rate the 18 statements. The mean score ranged from 1 to 5. A higher score means a higher level of psychological well-being, i.e. an expected outcome from an effective mindfulness intervention.

6. Use of distraction as a emotion care/regulation strategy

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline), Follow-up (22-24 weeks after baseline)

   The mean scores of five items of the self-developed scale to assess the use of distraction and its connection to attentional deployment with a pilot test. Participants used a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = never to 5 = always, to rate the five statements. The mean score ranged from 1 to 5. A higher score indicates a greater tendency to employ distraction as an emotion regulation strategy. It's important to note that the score only reflects the habitual usage of this strategy and does not imply a better or worse outcome.

7. Use of anchoring as a emotion care/regulation strategy

   Time frame: Baseline (2 weeks before the intervention), Post-intervention (14-16 weeks after baseline), Follow-up (22-24 weeks after baseline)

   The mean score of five items of the self-developed scale to assess the use of anchoring with a pilot test. Participants used a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = never to 5 = always, to rate the five statements. The mean score ranged from 1 to 5. A higher score indicates a greater tendency to employ distraction as an emotion regulation strategy. It's important to note that the score only reflects the habitual usage of this strategy and does not imply a better or worse outcome.