Mindfulness-based approaches are mental health practices intended to ground people, help them focus attention, and teach them how to think through overwhelming emotions and problems, but that is just the start. The more people are taught ways to better handle stress, the better protected they may be from the physiological problems that stress produces, including dementia.
A new Washington University in St. Louis research project funded by a National Institutes of Health grant will focus on the potential of mindfulness to enhance cognitive health in Latinx older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It’s just one of the ways WashU is studying mindfulness practices and how they can impact both individuals and whole communities.
The project is a part of WashU’s Mindfulness Science and Practice cluster, which kicked off Mindfulness Week late September. The cluster represents an interdisciplinary collaboration between Todd Braver, PhD a professor in psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, and Diana Parra Perez, PhD, an associate professor at the Brown School, along with two other co-leads, Erik Dane, associate professor of organizational behavior at Olin Business School, and Ron Mallon, PhD, professor of philosophy and of philosophy-neuroscience-psychology in Arts & Sciences.
Braver notes that older Latinx adults are a vulnerable and understudied population, which might mean there is potential to put in place even more “protective factors” by teaching this group mindfulness practices.
“We don’t know whether mindfulness can do that,” Braver cautioned, “but we want to test that possibility.”
Despite the ubiquity of mindfulness approaches spreading through institutions, scientific research on its impact is just ramping up.
Parra Perez’ previous research has included developing an adjusted version of mindfulness practices to fit the Latinx population needs, including adapting the lessons to Spanish language but also adding more cultural context, like the experience of immigration and spiritual and collective references that bring meaning and connection to the work.
According to Parra Perez, mindfulness can have more impact through shared experiences. A sense of community can be especially effective at helping vulnerable groups like new immigrants who are often isolated and separated from family. “Mindfulness is about tapping into both modern best practices and ancient traditions to use those to help us as a society look at where we are,” she said.
The NIH funded two-year grant will provide $325,000 in direct funding per year to run the trainings. The researchers will recruit a target sample of 60 Latinx older adults, with half randomized to the mindfulness-based program and the other half going to the wait-list control group. The training class size will be limited to 15 to ensure engagement and trust between participants in group-sharing activities.