The utility of home-practice in mindfulness-based group interventions: a systematic review

A growing body of research supports the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). MBIs consider home-practice as essential to increasing the therapeutic effects of the treatment. To date however, the synthesis of the research conducted on the role of home-practice in controlled MBI studies has been a neglected area. This review aimed to conduct a narrative synthesis of published controlled studies, evaluating mindfulness-based group interventions, which have specifically measured home-practice. Empirical research literature published until June 2016 was searched using five databases. The search strategy focused on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and home-practice. Included studies met the following criteria: controlled trials, participants 18 years and above, evaluations of MBSR or MBCT, utilised standardised quantitative outcome measures and monitored home-practice using a self-reported measure. Fourteen studies met the criteria and were included in the review. Across all studies, there was heterogeneity in the guidance and resources provided to participants and the approaches used for monitoring home-practice. In addition, the guidance on the length of home-practice was variable across studies, which indicates that research studies and teachers are not adhering to the published protocols. Finally, only seven studies examined the relationship between home-practice and clinical outcomes, of which four found that home-practice predicted improvements on clinical outcome measures. Future research should adopt a standardised approach for monitoring home-practice across MBIs. Additionally, studies should assess whether the amount of home-practice recommended to participants is in line with MBSR/MBCT manualised protocols. Finally, research should utilise experimental methodologies to explicitly explore the relationship between home-practice and clinical outcomes

Academic cross-pollination: The role of disciplinary affiliation in research collaboration

Academic collaboration is critical to knowledge production, especially as teams dominate scientific endeavors. Typical predictors of collaboration include individual characteristics such as academic rank or institution, and network characteristics such as a central position in a publication network. The role of disciplinary affiliation in the initiation of an academic collaboration between two investigators deserves more attention. Here, we examine the influence of disciplinary patterns on collaboration formation with control of known predictors using an inferential network model. The study group included all researchers in the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) at Washington University in St. Louis. Longitudinal data were collected on co-authorships in grants and publications before and after ICTS establishment. Exponential-family random graph models were used to build the network models. The results show that disciplinary affiliation independently predicted collaboration in grant and publication networks, particularly in the later years. Overall collaboration increased in the post-ICTS networks, with cross-discipline ties occurring more often than within-discipline ties in grants, but not publications. This research may inform better evaluation models of university-based collaboration, and offer a roadmap to improve cross-disciplinary collaboration with discipline-informed network interventions

Community-Engaged Research in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area: Mapping Existing Relationships

This report outlines the key findings from the evaluation of community-engaged research among the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) investigators. The goal of this project is to identify the current community-university research network and establish a baseline for future comparison. This report is the first of its kind for the ICTS and focuses on the current landscape of community-engaged research partnerships and allocating resources to strengthen partnerships over time. Results from this report will be used to inform programmatic planning to enhance community-engaged research relationships and illustrate ICTS progress in meeting its aims.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1027/thumbnail.jp

Project LAUNCH: System Transformation Evaluation Final Report

This baseline report presents the evaluation of Missouri’s Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). Project LAUNCH was a 5 year federal initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The initiative promoted health and well-being for children from birth to age 8 by creating a more integrated early childhood service system throughout Missouri.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1029/thumbnail.jp

ICTS Research Collaboration Survey Results: Demonstrations of Stability

This report provides the results from the Institute of Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) Research Collaboration Survey administered in 2011 and 2013. The ICTS Research Collaboration Survey was developed to better understand the collaborative research partnerships of ICTS members.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1028/thumbnail.jp

ReThink Health Frontiers in Sustainable Financing and Health System Stewardship Baseline Network Assessments

Health reform in the United States is a complex undertaking requiring the cooperation of diverse stakeholders and the examination of multiple interdependent systems. To facilitate this process, ReThink Health embarked on a two-phase project to explore the frontiers of health system stewardship and sustainable financing. This report summarizes early findings from three separate feasibility studies, all of which use classical methods of organizational network mapping to reveal patterns about the frontiers of health system stewardship and financing.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1064/thumbnail.jp

St. Louis County CPPW Evaluation Final Report

This report presents final evaluation results from the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) Initiative, implemented from February 2010 through June 2012. The final results show CPPW partners implemented a number of activities to achieve the main objectives of the Initiative. In particular, advocacy and policy change, cessation, and media outreach were important areas of focus.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1055/thumbnail.jp

Private Schools: Baseline Policy Assessment

This report presents the findings from a baseline assessment of tobacco policies in private schools in St. Louis County Districts 1 through 4. These findings were provided to the St. Louis County Department of Health and other CPPW stakeholders, including the Leadership Team and initiative grantees, to help inform intervention efforts for strengthening school tobacco policies.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1048/thumbnail.jp

Public School District: Baseline Policy Assessment

This report from the CPPW project presents the findings from a baseline assessment of tobacco policies in all St. Louis County public school districts. These findings are provided to stakeholders to help inform intervention efforts for strengthening school tobacco policies.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1049/thumbnail.jp