Online Couple-Based Meditation Intervention for Patients with Primary or Metastatic Brain Tumors and their Partners: Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: Although patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors (BT) and their partners are at risk of experiencing high symptom burden, they are often excluded from psychosocial intervention studies. Thus, we sought to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a couple-based meditation (CBM) program targeting symptom and well-being outcomes.

Methods: Couples completed baseline measures assessing symptom and well-being outcomes and were randomized to the CBM or a usual care control (UC) group. Couples in the CBM groups attended four, weekly (60 min. each) therapist-led sessions that were delivered via FaceTime. The CBM program focused on cultivating mindfulness, compassion, gratitude and purpose and integrated emotional disclosure exercises. Both groups were reassessed 6 and 12 weeks after baseline.

Results: We approached 60 eligible dyads of which 37 (62%) consented and 35 (95%) were randomized and 22 (63%) completed all assessments. Couples in the CBM group attended a mean of 3.33 sessions (SD=1.09). For patients, significant group differences in favor of the CBM group were found for cognitive (d=1.05) and general disease symptoms (d=.93), and relationship well-being (d=.68) and compassion (d=.96). No significant group differences were revealed for partners.

Conclusions: It seems to be feasible, acceptable and possibly efficacious to deliver a dyadic intervention via FaceTime to BT couples. Although both patients and partners in the CBM group rated the intervention as beneficial, significant group differences with medium to large effect sizes were only found for patients.