Mindfulness-training research in military cohorts
Over the past 15 years, we have been systematically investigating the utility of mindfulness training (MT) to optimize attention, well-being, and performance in military cohorts. Our findings suggest that MT is a feasible, scalable, and portable resilience building tool that offers cognitive advantage, which may be a key competitive advantage in the modern-day battlefield.
Publications
Nassif, T.H., Adrian, Gutierrez, I.A., A.C., Dixon, A., Rogers, S.L., Jha, A.P., Adler, A.B., (2023). Optimizing Performance and Mental Skills with Mindfulness-Based Attention Training: A Pilot Randomized Trial with Operational Units. Military Medicine. 188 (3/4), 761-770. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab380
Jha, A. P., Zanesco, A. P., Denkova, E., MacNaulty, W., & Rogers., S. L. (2021). The effects of mindfulness training on working memory performance in high-demand cohorts: a multi-study investigation. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement. 6, 192–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-02100228-1
Jha, A. P., Zanesco, A. P., Denkova, E., Morrison, A. B., Ramos, N., Chichester, K., Gaddy, J., & Rogers, S. (2020). Bolstering cognitive resilience via train-the-trainer delivery of mindfulness training in applied high-demand settings. Mindfulness, 11, 683–697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01284-7
Zanesco, A. P., Denkova, E., Rogers, S. L., MacNulty, W. K., & Jha, A. P. (2019). Mindfulness training as cognitive training in high-demand cohorts: An initial study in elite military servicemembers. Progress in Brain Research, 244, 323-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.001
Jha, A. P., Morrison, A. B., Parker, S. C., & Stanley, E. A. (2016). Practice is protective: Mindfulness training promotes cognitive resilience in high-stress cohorts. Mindfulness, 8, 46-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0465-9
Jha, A. P., Morrison, A. B., Dainer-Best, J., Parker, S., Rostrup, N., & Stanley, E. (2015). Minds “at attention”: Mindfulness training curbs attentional lapses in military cohorts. PLoS ONE, 10(2), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116889
Stanley, E. A, Kiyonaga, A., Schaldach, J. M., & Jha, A. P. (2011). Mindfulness-based mind fitness training: A case study of a high-stress predeployment military cohort. Cognitive Behavior and Practice,18(4), 566-576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2010.08.002
Jha, A. P., Stanley, E. A., Kiyonaga, A., Wong, L., & Gelfand, L. (2010). Examining the protective effects of mindfulness training on working memory capacity and affective experience. Emotion, 10(1), 54–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018438
*Non-exhaustive
Book Chapters
Alessio, J., Hosie., M.P., Jha, A.P., (2023). Chapter 6: Mindfulness Training for Optimization and Wellness. In COLs M. Hosie, M. L. Sipos, and T. W. Britt, Health and Wellbeing for Military Executives. US Army War College, Carlisle, PA.
Presentations
Nassif, T.H., Gutierrez, I.A., Smith, C.D., Jha, A.P, Adler, A. (2023). Bolstering Soldier Mental Health in Basic Combat Training with Mindfulness and Yoga: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Poster at the Military Health System Research Symposium.
Smith, C., Gutierrez, I.A., Nassif, T.H., Jordan, K.L., Taylor, K.M., Jha, A.P., and Adler, A.B. (2023). Warfighter Operational Resilience: Current and Future Directions in the Development and Implementation of Programs to Maintain “Resilience Under Fire. Presentation at the Military Health System Research Symposium.
Price, M.M., Zanesco, A.P., Denkova, E., & Jha, A.P. Examining the Relationships between PTSD, Protracted Stress, and Cognitive Errors in Daily Life: A Mediation Analysis (2023). Poster to be presented at the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute.
Jha, A. P., Rogers, S. L., Schoomaker, E., & Cardon, E. (2019). Deploying mindfulness to gain cognitive advantage: Considerations for military effectiveness and well-being. NATO Science and Technology Conference Proceedings, 1-14. NATO Conference Proceedings.
*Non-exhaustive
