How do mindfulness and compassion programs improve mental health and well-being? The role of attentional processing of emotional information.

Although the benefits of Meditation-Based Programs are well documented, the mechanisms underlying these benefits have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we examined whether: (1) formal training in mindfulness and compassion meditation modifies the distribution of attentional resources towards emotional information; and (2) whether changes in attentional processing of emotional information after the meditation programs mediate the improvements in psychological distress, emotion regulation, and well-being. A sample of 103 participants enrolled in the study: 36 in the mindfulness program (MBSR), 30 in the compassion program (CCT), and 37 in the no-intervention comparison group (CG). The assessment before and after the programs included the completion of an emotional Attentional Blink task (AB) together with self-report measures of psychological distress, emotion regulation, and well-being. MBSR and CCT reduced similarly the AB deficit, whereas no changes occurred in the CG. This AB reduction was found for the different emotional and non-emotional stimuli (i.e., negative, positive, and neutral), showing a significant disengagement from first-target emotions and significant accessibility of second-target emotions to consciousness. The effects of both meditation programs on the psychological measures were mediated by changes in the AB and emotion regulation skills. Due to our naturalistic design in a real-world community setting, random assignment of participants was not feasible. Meditation may promote more flexible and balanced attention to emotional information, which may be a key transdiagnostic mechanism underlying its benefits on emotional distress and well-being. • Comparison of mindfulness (MBSR), compassion (CCT), and control group (CG). • The assessment included an emotional Attentional Blink task (AB). • Both MBSR and CCT reduced the AB, while no changes were found in CG. • Effects of meditation on distress and well-being was mediated by AB changes. • Attention to emotional information as a transdiagnostic mechanism of meditation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]