Non-attachment as a potential mechanism for the effects of mindfulness meditation on obsessive-compulsive symptoms among survivors of adverse childhood experiences.

Abstract

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms (OCS) arise from maladaptive appraisal of intrusive thoughts, for which Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) can be a major risk factor, due to distorted senses of responsibility and control. Emerging research suggests Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) can be beneficial for reducing OCS, but existing mechanistic understandings are still based on exposure therapy theories. This pilot study analyzed exploratory measures from a previous mechanistic randomized controlled trial (RCT) with young adult ACE survivors that compared MBI (N=21) vs. active control (N=19). Path analyses revealed that only in the MBI arm, post-intervention score changes (Δ) of "non-attachment" directly influenced ΔOCS (β=-0.50, p<0.05) after controlling for ΔDepression and ΔAnxiety. Such mechanistic finding highlights "non-attachment" as a potential psychological mechanism for MBI's effects on OCS, i.e., through cultivating the mentality of "letting go" of the desire of control over external and internal experiences.