The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Anxiety and Working Memory: Attention to the Role of Worry and Rumination

  The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on anxiety and working memory by taking the role of worry and rumination into consideration.  The method of this study was quasi-experimental with a three-group pre-test/post-test design. The research statistical population consisted of all eleventh and twelfth grade female students in Qorveh city in the academic year 2015-16. From this population, using purposive sampling method, 93 students who had above-average anxiety scores were selected and randomly assigned to three groups: experimental, placebo, and control. The experimental group received eight training sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The placebo group received eight training sessions of the English language and the control group received no training. Data were collected using Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, Rumination-Reflection Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. The data were analyzed by SPANOVA statistical method. The results indicated significant differences between the experimental, placebo, and control groups in all the variables of interest. It was specified that mindfulness-based stress reduction program was influential in reducing anxiety, rumination, and worry, and increasing working memory performance.