Effectiveness of mindfulness and Qigong training for self-healing in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Seok-In Yoon, Hui-Yeong Park, Hyun Woo Lee, Chan Park, Sun-Yong Chung, Jong Woo Kim
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1336656 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing (MQT-SH) |
| Duration | 6-week intervention, 12-week follow-up |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Hwabyung Qigong Randomized controlled trial |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | The study aims to determine whether Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing improves emotional problems in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder. |
Abstract
Hwabyung is a Korean culture-bound syndrome characterized by anger-related physical and psychological symptoms. Depressive disorder is a common mental illness occurring worldwide, and has been reported to have a high comorbidity rate with Hwabyung. For patients with depressive disorders, differential diagnosis and combined treatment for Hwabyung should be considered. Mindfulness and Qigong may be effective alternatives for regulating emotions such as depression, anxiety, and anger. This study aims to investigate whether Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing (MQT-SH) would improve emotional problems in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder. This study will be a two-arm block randomized controlled trial. A total of 64 participants will be recruited and randomly assigned to either experimental or control group. While the experimental group will perform MQT-SH for the first six weeks, the control group will receive no treatment. During the next six weeks, the control group will perform MQT-SH for ethical equity. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-intervention (6 weeks) and follow-up (12 weeks). The primary outcomes would be Hwabyung and depression, while the secondary outcomes would include anxiety, anger, and vitality. This study will provide a basis for assessing the effectiveness of mindfulness and Qigong training in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kyung-Hee University Oriental Medicine Hospital in Gangdong (KHNMCOH 2023-09-003). The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. This trial was registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), Republic of Korea, No. KCT0008937 and was registered on November 10, 2023.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025
- Listen to your inner body: embodied emotions in predictive neuroscience and traditional East Asian medicine Frontiers in Human Neuroscience April 20, 2026
Cites 8
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Qigong and Tai-Chi for Mood Regulation FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry 2018
- Mindfulness to improve the mental health of university students. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health 2023
- Effect of Meditative Movement on Affect and Flow in Qigong Practitioners. Frontiers in Psychology 2019
- The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on cardiac patients' blood pressure, perceived stress, and anger: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Society of Hypertension : JASH October 2016
and 3 more in the library