Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation
Abstract Background Military personnel face an increased risk of developing mental disorders owing to the stressful environments they encounter. Effective stress management strategies are crucial to mitigate this risk. Mindfulness training (MT) is promising as a stress management approach in such de...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | BMC Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02322-3 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841544110102544384 |
|---|---|
| author | Seho Lee Jin Hyung Kim Hakseung Kim Sung Ha Kim Sung Soo Park Chang Woo Hong Ki Tae Kwon Seung Hun Lee Kyoung Soo Kim Hoon Choi Jung Bin Kim Dong-Joo Kim |
| author_facet | Seho Lee Jin Hyung Kim Hakseung Kim Sung Ha Kim Sung Soo Park Chang Woo Hong Ki Tae Kwon Seung Hun Lee Kyoung Soo Kim Hoon Choi Jung Bin Kim Dong-Joo Kim |
| author_sort | Seho Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Military personnel face an increased risk of developing mental disorders owing to the stressful environments they encounter. Effective stress management strategies are crucial to mitigate this risk. Mindfulness training (MT) is promising as a stress management approach in such demanding settings. This study uses a quantitative approach to investigate the impact of MT on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and emotional regulation. Methods The study evaluated the effectiveness of MT in reducing stress among 86 military personnel. Participants were divided into two groups: MT (n = 42) and non-MT (n = 38). The study compared the two groups using measures of heart rate variability (HRV), a reliable indicator of ANS activity. Results The MT group exhibited a significant increase in HRV (14.4%, p = 0.001) and alpha asymmetry (AA) in the frontal lobe (45.7%, p < 0.001) compared to the non-MT group. Notably, the MT group achieved significantly higher scores on the parachute landing fall (PLF) training performance (p < 0.001). These improvements in HRV, AA, and PLF performance were strongly correlated. Furthermore, AA fully mediated the relationship between HRV and PLF training performance. Conclusions The findings suggest that MT has a positive impact on stress resilience, potentially by mitigating anxiety and attention deficits induced by extreme stressors. These positive effects are facilitated by concurrent modulation of the frontal cortex and autonomic nervous system. Our findings provide insight into the neural mechanisms behind MT-induced stress reduction from the perspective of neuromodulation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a704128a7ec49f0b43f59a5b682265d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a704128a7ec49f0b43f59a5b682265d2025-01-12T12:45:11ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-01-0113111110.1186/s40359-024-02322-3Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulationSeho Lee0Jin Hyung Kim1Hakseung Kim2Sung Ha Kim3Sung Soo Park4Chang Woo Hong5Ki Tae Kwon6Seung Hun Lee7Kyoung Soo Kim8Hoon Choi9Jung Bin Kim10Dong-Joo Kim11Department of Artificial Intelligence, Korea UniversityDepartment of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea UniversityDepartment of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea UniversityDepartment of Doctrine Development, Army Consolidated Administrative School, ROK ArmyDepartment of Doctrine Development, Army Consolidated Administrative School, ROK ArmyDepartment of Doctrine Development, Army Consolidated Administrative School, ROK ArmyChaplaincy, Capital Corps of ROK ArmyDepartment of Doctrine Development, Army Consolidated Administrative School, ROK ArmyDepartment of Doctrine Development, Army Consolidated Administrative School, ROK ArmyDepartment of Doctrine Development, Army Consolidated Administrative School, ROK ArmyDepartment of Neurology, Korea University College of MedicineDepartment of Artificial Intelligence, Korea UniversityAbstract Background Military personnel face an increased risk of developing mental disorders owing to the stressful environments they encounter. Effective stress management strategies are crucial to mitigate this risk. Mindfulness training (MT) is promising as a stress management approach in such demanding settings. This study uses a quantitative approach to investigate the impact of MT on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and emotional regulation. Methods The study evaluated the effectiveness of MT in reducing stress among 86 military personnel. Participants were divided into two groups: MT (n = 42) and non-MT (n = 38). The study compared the two groups using measures of heart rate variability (HRV), a reliable indicator of ANS activity. Results The MT group exhibited a significant increase in HRV (14.4%, p = 0.001) and alpha asymmetry (AA) in the frontal lobe (45.7%, p < 0.001) compared to the non-MT group. Notably, the MT group achieved significantly higher scores on the parachute landing fall (PLF) training performance (p < 0.001). These improvements in HRV, AA, and PLF performance were strongly correlated. Furthermore, AA fully mediated the relationship between HRV and PLF training performance. Conclusions The findings suggest that MT has a positive impact on stress resilience, potentially by mitigating anxiety and attention deficits induced by extreme stressors. These positive effects are facilitated by concurrent modulation of the frontal cortex and autonomic nervous system. Our findings provide insight into the neural mechanisms behind MT-induced stress reduction from the perspective of neuromodulation.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02322-3Mindfulness trainingStress managementAutonomic nervous systemEmotional regulationMilitary training |
| spellingShingle | Seho Lee Jin Hyung Kim Hakseung Kim Sung Ha Kim Sung Soo Park Chang Woo Hong Ki Tae Kwon Seung Hun Lee Kyoung Soo Kim Hoon Choi Jung Bin Kim Dong-Joo Kim Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation BMC Psychology Mindfulness training Stress management Autonomic nervous system Emotional regulation Military training |
| title | Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation |
| title_full | Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation |
| title_short | Investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training: the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation |
| title_sort | investigating the effect of mindfulness training for stress management in military training the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation |
| topic | Mindfulness training Stress management Autonomic nervous system Emotional regulation Military training |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02322-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT seholee investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT jinhyungkim investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT hakseungkim investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT sunghakim investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT sungsoopark investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT changwoohong investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT kitaekwon investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT seunghunlee investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT kyoungsookim investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT hoonchoi investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT jungbinkim investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation AT dongjookim investigatingtheeffectofmindfulnesstrainingforstressmanagementinmilitarytrainingtherelationshipbetweentheautonomicnervoussystemandemotionalregulation |