Treatment Engagement and Outcomes of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Veterans with Psychiatric Disorders.
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) September 1, 2019 William R Marchand, Brandon Yabko, Tracy Herrmann et al.
Among 98 veterans with psychiatric disorders enrolled in an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) class at a Veterans Administration Medical Center, average attendance was 4.87 of 8 sessions and only 16% attended all sessions. Greater numbers of pre-MBCT emergency department visits and psychiatric admissions predicted fewer sessions attended. Among the 27% of patients who had at least one psychiatric admission in the two years before or after the intervention, psychiatric admissions decreased significantly from pre- to post-MBCT; emergency department visits did not change significantly. The authors conclude that MBCT may be difficult to implement in outpatient VAMC settings due to high attrition and suggest screening for dropout risk, shorter interventions, or coupling MBCT with pleasurable activities.