Attentional Control May Be Modifiable with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to Prevent Suicide
Behaviour Research and Therapy October 1, 2021 Megan S. Chesin, J. Keilp, A. Kline et al.
A randomized clinical trial tested whether Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to Prevent Suicide (MBCT-S) improves attentional control, an objective marker of suicide attempt, in 135 high suicide risk Veterans. Seventy Veterans received MBCT-S plus enhanced treatment as usual (eTAU), and 65 received eTAU only. Computerized Stroop and emotion Stroop tasks were administered three times over six months. Veterans receiving MBCT-S showed a more favorable trajectory of attentional control over time, with improved combat-stress interference scores. Interference processing time for negative affective words deteriorated over time among Veterans receiving eTAU only. The authors suggest MBCT-S may effectively target attentional control in high suicide risk Veterans.