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Robert Simpson

14 papers in the library · 130 citations · publishing 2014-2026

Papers

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Learning to self-soothe, feel safe, and be connected: participant perspectives of a mindful self-compassion program for people with multiple sclerosis.

Disability and Rehabilitation August 24, 2026 Claire Zhang, Jillian Scandiffio, Ashvene Sureshkumar et al.

People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) often experience high rates of stress, anxiety, and depression, with low quality of life. Mindful self-compassion (MSC) training may offer a promising approach to support mental health in this population. This study explored the experiences of PwMS participating in an online MSC course as part of a feasibility trial to assess its accessibility, perceived...

DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2026.2719953 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Mindfulness Multiple sclerosis Mindful self-compassion People with ms

How do individuals with spinal cord injury practice mindfulness? Barriers & facilitators to practicing mindfulness and considerations for tailoring programs.

Disability and Rehabilitation October 29, 2025 Dorothy Luong, Tin-Suet Joan Lee, Robert Simpson et al.

Purpose: This qualitative study aims to understand how individuals with SCI experience and participate in mindfulness, including identifying barriers and facilitators to participation. Materials and methods: A qualitative descriptive approach following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was implemented. Participants partook in one-on-one telephone...

DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2580297 (opens in new tab) Humans Spinal cord injuries Qualitative research Adult +10

Online mindfulness interventions in the care of people with physical and mental health conditions: a scoping review.

BMJ Open July 18, 2025 Vjura Senthilnathan, Susan Zahir, Robert Simpson et al. 1 citation

With growing access to the internet, online mindfulness programmes have become more commonly used to manage physical and mental health conditions. This scoping review aims to determine the nature and extent of the literature, and key characteristics, of online mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for adults with physical or mental health conditions. A scoping review guided by the Joanna...

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086287 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Mindfulness Mental health Psychosocial intervention Rehabilitation medicine

Implementation considerations of key knowledge users for building online mindfulness-based interventions for people with multiple sclerosis.

Disability and Rehabilitation April 16, 2025 Ashvene Sureshkumar, Dorothy Luong, Sarah Munce et al. 1 citation

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can effectively reduce stress in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Online MBIs address access barriers, but large-scale implementation from the perspectives of key knowledge users remains understudied. This study explored the implementation considerations of PwMS, care partners, MS clinicians and MBI instructors for building online MBIs for PwMS. A...

A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain.

Journal of Pain Research 2025 Darren K. Cheng, Robert Simpson, Rahim Moineddin et al.

Chronic pain (CP) often co-occurs with depression, but promising scalable interventions have been under-investigated. We assessed the effectiveness of the virtually-delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation (SSM) program in reducing depressive symptoms in people with CP and moderate depressive symptoms. We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing SSM to the Health Enhancement Program (HEP),...

A systematic review and meta-analysis exploring the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis.

Journal of Neurology November 9, 2022 Robert Simpson, Stephanie Posa, Laura Langer et al.

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is commonly impaired among people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The aim of this study was to evaluate via meta-analysis the efficacy of Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for improving QoL in PwMS. Methods: Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified via searching six major electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central...

Mindfulness-based interventions for people with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-aggregation of qualitative research studies

Disability and Rehabilitation September 9, 2021 Robert Simpson, Sharon Simpson, Marina B. Wasilewski et al. 29 citations

PURPOSE: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are effective treatments for stress, anxiety, and depression in PwMS. However, low adherence and high attrition may limit effectiveness. Qualitative research can provide important insights into MBI acceptability, accessibility, and implementation. This systematic review and meta-aggregation evaluated qualitative research findings on the use of...

Optimising mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis.

Chronic illness June 2018 Robert Simpson, Sharon Byrne, Karen Wood et al.

Objectives To gather views from patients with multiple sclerosis after completing a standard eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course and optimise and test a modified version as required. Methods Two successive groups of 25 multiple sclerosis patients received mindfulness-based stress reduction in a wait-list randomised controlled trial. Seventeen participants and two...

DOI: 10.1177/1742395317715504 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Mindfulness Multiple sclerosis Complex interventions Optimisation +1

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Young Offenders: a Scoping Review.

Mindfulness 2018 Sharon Simpson, Stewart W Mercer, Robert Simpson et al.

Youth offending is a problem worldwide. Young people in the criminal justice system have frequently experienced adverse childhood circumstances, mental health problems, difficulties regulating emotions and poor quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions can help people manage problems resulting from these experiences, but their usefulness for youth offending populations is not clear. This...

Acceptability of mindfulness from the perspective of stroke survivors and caregivers: a qualitative study.

Pilot and Feasibility Studies 2018 Bhautesh Dinesh Jani, Robert Simpson, Maggie Lawrence et al.

Depression is very common among stroke survivors with estimated prevalence rates of approximately 33% among stroke survivors, but treatment options are limited. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an effective treatment for depression generally, but benefits in stroke patients are unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of delivering MBSR to stroke survivors and...

Mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis - a feasibility randomised controlled trial.

BMC Neurology May 16, 2017 Robert Simpson, Frances S Mair, Stewart W Mercer

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a stressful condition. Mental health comorbidity is common. Stress can increase the risk of depression, reduce quality of life (QOL), and possibly exacerbate disease activity in MS. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) may help, but has been little studied in MS, particularly among more disabled individuals. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility...

Mindfulness-based stress reduction in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review

BMC Neurology May 15, 2017 Gary N. McLean, Maggie Lawrence, Robert Simpson et al. 62 citations

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) is increasingly being used to improve outcomes such as stress and depression in a range of long-term conditions (LTCs). While systematic reviews on MBSR have taken place for a number of conditions there remains limited information on its impact on individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: Medline, Central, Embase, Amed, CINAHAL...

Mindfulness-based interventions in epilepsy: a systematic review

BMC Neurology March 20, 2017 Karen Wood, Maggie Lawrence, Bhautesh Jani et al. 37 citations

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly used to help patients cope with physical and mental long-term conditions (LTCs). Epilepsy is associated with a range of mental and physical comorbidities that have a detrimental effect on quality of life (QOL), but it is not clear whether MBIs can help. We systematically reviewed the literature to determine the effectiveness of...

Mindfulness based interventions in multiple sclerosis--a systematic review.

BMC Neurology January 17, 2014 Robert Simpson, Jo Booth, Maggie Lawrence et al.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a stressful condition; depression, anxiety, pain and fatigue are all common problems. Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) mitigate stress and prevent relapse in depression and are increasingly being used in healthcare. However, there are currently no systematic reviews of MBIs in people with MS. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MBIs in...