Feasibility study of Mi-CREW: A virtual, culturally responsive MBI for African Americans

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in the United States have primarily centered White culture with little consideration of cultural and contextual factors that uniquely shape the experiences of African Americans. The purpose of the present study was to assess the feasibility of Mindfully & Collectively Revolutionizing Wellness (Mi-CReW), a culturally responsive online MBI for African Americans with the purpose of introducing mindfulness as a tool for cultivating personal and collective wellness in the face of increased risk for stress-related issues. Acceptability and demand for Mi-CReW were explored. It was hypothesized that Mi-CReW would demonstrate limited efficacy by decreasing psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress), increasing mindfulness skills, and increasing self-compassion. Seventy Black adults were randomly assigned to the treatment condition or to a waitlist control condition and completed pre- and post-test surveys. Participants reported high acceptability of the sessions, high cultural relevance of the program, and a strong likelihood of recommending the program to other Black people. One-way ANCOVAs, controlling for baseline scores, revealed treatment group mindfulness was significantly higher than control group mindfulness, F(1, 57) = 44.81, p < .001, η2 = .29, but there was no significant effect of condition on depression, anxiety, stress, or self-compassion. T-tests within the treatment condition revealed treatment pa¬rticipants experienced a significant decrease in depression, t(25) = 3.78, p < .001, d = .74, and a significant increase in mindfulness, t(25) = -3.89, p < .001, d = .76, but no significant change in self-compassion, anxiety, or stress. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Jones, Markera C.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Neville, Helen A
• Aber, Mark S
• Laurent, Heidemarie K
• Gobin, Robyn L
• Hunter, Carla D

• Mindfulness
• Culture
• Evidence-based Treatments
• Meditation
• Race
• Racism-based Stress
• Depression

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Markera Jones

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121291

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F121291