Online mindfulness ameliorate self-observation in psychiatric outpatients with brooding

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have been used in different psychiatric conditions. Despite that, only a few online mindfulness approaches have focused on psychiatric patients, providing limited and heterogeneous results, making the comparison with in-presence interventions complex. The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate (a) whether online mindfulness practices can improve patients' mindfulness abilities (observation, description, acting with awareness, non-judging, non-reactivity), (b) whether an online MBI can impact general distress as well as on worries and stress perception. Sixty-two psychiatric outpatients with medium-high levels of brooding (41.9 % male, mean age = 44.6, SD = 13.4; 58.1 % female, mean age = 41.7, SD = 12.6) divided into nine groups attended an online (8 sessions) mindfulness intervention. Patients were asked to complete self-assessment questionnaires before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention. We found a significant improvement in mindfulness total scores between T0 and T1, implying increased patient awareness about experiences. We also found a significant improvement in the skill of observing, indicating an ability to see and feel what occurs around and inside us, as well as increased capabilities in non-judging and non-reactivity to inner experiences. Significant differences between T0 and T1 in general distress and an improvement in perceived stress were found, suggesting that an online MBI can increase patients’ well-being.