Mindfulness and Emotion Dysregulation in Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic factor playing a critical role in the manifestation and maintenance of psychopathology, including mood and anxiety disorders. Given the higher prevalence rates of these psychiatric illnesses in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), there is an urgent need to target emotion dysregulation in the integrated care of those with MS. As such, our laboratory has been examining the association between mindfulness – an inherent characteristic that allows for present moment awareness in a framework of acceptance and non-judgment – and emotion dysregulation in PwMS. 

Objectives: The current project involved secondary analyses of two previous studies that were designed to examine the rates of emotion dysregulation in PwMS and community controls (Study 1) and the impact of mindfulness training on emotion dysregulation (Study 2). In both these analyses, our goal was to examine the association between trait mindfulness and emotion dysregulation, as assessed by self-report questionnaires (Study 1) and a behavioral task of emotion dysregulation (Study 2). 

Methods: For Study 1, 88 PwMS completed questionnaires assessing trait mindfulness and emotion dysregulation. In Study 2, the relationship was explored in 61 PwMS using both self-report measures and a Worry/Rumination Induction task - a behavioral correlate of emotion dysregulation - designed to examine maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation strategy use. 

Results: Mindfulness was negatively correlated with self-report emotion dysregulation in both samples. In Study 2, higher level of trait mindfulness was associated with greater employment of adaptive strategy use when exposed to worry situations. However, there was no association between trait mindfulness and adaptive ER strategy use when exposed to rumination. No significant associations were found between trait mindfulness and maladaptive strategy use. 

Conclusions: The current studies corroborate and extend our previous finding of a negative association between mindfulness and emotion dysregulation in PwMS. Our results suggest that the link between trait mindfulness and emotion dysregulation persists beyond self-report measures and may also extend to use of adaptive strategies in worry situations. Although these studies are inherently limited because of the cross-sectional design, the promising results suggest that mindfulness may be a potent prophylactic strategy for in use with PwMS.