The Stress Reduction Intervention Study

The Mindfulness Intervention and Repeated Acute Stress (MIRAS) Study

The primary purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and stress habituation. The investigators propose to measure the effect of mindfulness on stress habituation by randomly assigning participants to a 6-week mindfulness-based stress reduction group intervention, a cognitive-behavioral skills group comparison intervention, or a waitlist control condition followed by repeated acute psychosocial stress testing (2 laboratory sessions on 2 separate days). Saliva will be collected from participants throughout both laboratory testing sessions to measure HPA axis activation (an essential stress-responsive system), along with other measures of physiological and psychological stress (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, emotions). Mediators and moderators of treatment outcome will be examined. The cognitive-behavioral skills group condition is an appropriate comparison group due to the well-documented efficacy of cognitive-behavioral interventions on stress.

Inclusion Criteria:

• English-speaking adults who are between the ages of 18-50, who are in general good health
• Perceived stress scores (PSS) > 3 on a screening survey

Exclusion Criteria:

• reported previous completion of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy program.
• reported pregnancy
• reported use of steroid medication
• presence of a major psychiatric or endocrine disorder (e.g., Major Depression, Cushings Disease; self-reported)
• reported regular wake time after 10:00 AM on a weekday