A randomized controlled trial will test whether virtual-reality-guided meditation is feasible and acceptable for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in older adults. Thirty community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older with moderate stress will be randomly assigned to either an eight-session VR meditation program or a waitlist control group. Sessions last 15 minutes and occur twice weekly for four weeks, offered at home or in a hospital. Outcomes include perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, quality of life, and mindfulness skills, measured before and after the intervention. Qualitative interviews will capture participants' experiences. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05315609).
A proposed theoretical model suggests that mindfulness meditation training improves interpersonal relationships by increasing self-awareness, self-regulation, and prosociality, which in turn enhance the quality of interactions and socioemotional support provided to others. Better support then boosts the recipient's emotion regulation. A study protocol aims to validate this tri-process model using a multiphasic longitudinal design with 640 participants randomized into 480 dyads. The work has theoretical and social implications for developing more effective interpersonal mindfulness programs.
Late-life depression affects up to 18% of older adults and is linked to elevated dementia risk. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may help treat depressive symptoms and cognitive deficits in this population, but a definitive randomized controlled trial has not yet been conducted. This protocol describes a multi-site blinded trial comparing MBCT to an active control, a Health Enhancement Program, in 213 patients with late-life depression. Changes in depression severity, processing speed, executive functioning, and brain biomarkers will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 26 weeks after baseline. The study will evaluate MBCT's potential to improve depression, cognitive impairments, and neurobiological markers.