Stress Reduction: A neighborhood introduction

Responding to reported health concerns a stress reduction program was developed for residents of an urban Latino neighborhood struggling with poverty, crime, and limited access to healthcare. The revised Health Promotion Model (HPM) was used as a framework (Pender, 1996). A qualitative study testing a 5-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention was imbedded into the program 18 months after its implementation. Utilizing a pre/post test design participants were predicted to demonstrate significant reductions in post-intervention mean scores for 3 self-report measures, the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, General Sleep Disturbance Scale, and a modified Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. A 91% drop in participation compared to prior attendance levels precluded measuring the dependent variables. Comparing the MBSR intervention with prior instruction attempts to explicate this unexpected outcome, supporting the potential explanatory possibilities of the HPM and informing the need for further studies ofMBSR in cultural contexts