Assessing the efficacy of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention to increase nonattachment

Objective Nonattachment involves a reduced tendency to “cling to” or “push away” aspects of experience. To date, while it appears possible to increase nonattachment with interventions of up to 8-weeks duration, little research has explored shorter online mindfulness-based interventions. The current study piloted a two-week self-guided online mindfulness-based intervention.Method The online mindfulness-based intervention was assessed in student (n = 35) and community (n = 35) samples. Participants listened to 10-minute daily guided audio meditations (i.e. body scan [days 1–5], refocusing the mind [days 6–9], and releasing mental fixations [days 10–14]).Results Compared to waitlist control groups in both samples, participation in the intervention contributed to a significant increase in mindfulness. Minimal evidence for change in nonattachment was observed. In the student sample, there was a significant main effect and no significant interaction. In the community sample, the interaction term was non-significant. Subsequent t-tests indicated that nonattachment significantly increased in the experimental compared to control group. Preliminary qualitative feedback highlighted benefits for some participants, whereas the time commitment or online design of the intervention were issues for others.Conclusions The findings further support that short online mindfulness-based interventions can contribute to increases in self-reported mindfulness. Suggestions on future directions for nonattachment-based interventions are provided.