A protocol describes a planned trial testing whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) delivered via the web can reduce depression symptoms and psychiatric distress. The study will randomly assign 128 participants to either an 8-week web-based MBCT group plus treatment as usual or an 8-week waitlist control group. Primary outcomes are depression symptoms and psychiatric distress; secondary outcomes include perceived stress and mindfulness facets. Feasibility will be measured by adherence, retention, attendance, and engagement. As of November 2023, 30 of 224 screened participants were enrolled. Results are expected by August 2024.
A systematic review of 28 cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) published between 1985 and 2021 found that standardized programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) are less costly and more effective than usual care or cognitive behavioral therapy for several patient populations. MBSR was associated with lower healthcare costs and better outcomes for chronic lower back pain, fibromyalgia, and breast cancer. MBCT showed cost-effectiveness advantages for depression, medically unexplained symptoms, multiple sclerosis, breast cancer with persistent pain, adults with a history of major depressive episodes, ADHD, and all cancer patients. Mindfulness training also reduced costs from a societal perspective when used for aggressive behaviors in people with intellectual or developmental disabilities in mental health facilities.
A four-week mindful walking intervention (one hour per week) was compared with instructions to increase physical activity among 38 adults who were not getting enough exercise. Both groups received a wrist-worn step counter. Physical activity and depression improved in both groups, but there was no significant difference between them. Device-measured step counts did not differ between groups, though both averaged close to 8,000 steps per day. The mindful walking group showed a significantly larger reduction in perceived stress immediately after the intervention, but this difference was not maintained at one-month follow-up. The short duration and small sample may have limited the results.