Evaluating the Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Alleviating Depressive Symptoms, Reducing Rumination, and Preventing Relapse Among the Institutionalized Patients in Nigeria: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduced depressive symptoms and rumination in adults with recurrent depression, but it did not lower the risk of relapse. In a randomized trial with 101 patients who had three or more previous episodes, those who received eight weeks of group MBCT (including meditation, psychoeducation, and discussion) showed statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms and rumination scores compared to a control group at a two-month follow-up. However, there was no significant difference between groups in depression relapse rates. MBCT appears helpful for symptom management but not for preventing relapse in this population.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Depression is a serious issue in the world, affecting over 350 million people. Although it may present at any age, adolescence to early adulthood is the most common age of onset, and females are affected twice as much as males. Rumination is a specific known risk factor for the onset, severity, prolongation, and relapse of depression. Relapse prevention in recurrent depression is a significant public health problem, and antidepressants are the current first-line treatment approach. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in alleviating depressive symptoms, reducing rumination, and preventing relapse among depressive patients. This randomized controlled trial was conducted with 101 population of 101 consisting of adult patients with three or more previous episodes. Participants were randomly assigned to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (n = 50) and Control Group (n = 51) using randomized sampling. The Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy group received 8-week group training sessions including meditation exercises, psycho-education and group discussions. The assessment was done at baseline, post-treatment, and 2-month follow-up. Analysis was done using SPSS software (V 22). The results showed that there were no significant differences between the groups on depression relapse (χ2 = 0.002; p = 0.99). However, there is a statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms mean score level in the MBCT group [F(2, 37) = 6.878, p = .003]. Moreover, there is a statistically significant reduction in rumination score in the MBCT group [F (2,37) = 36.021; p = 0.02]. The findings showed that MBCT appears efficacious in reducing depressive symptoms and rumination. However, MBCT did not further reduce their risk for relapse/recurrence.