Brief training in mindfulness meditation reduces symptoms in patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history of depression: A randomized controlled study.
Emilia Winnebeck, Maria Fißler, M. Gärtner, P. Chadwick, T. Barnhofer
Behaviour Research and Therapy December 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.10.005 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA brief mindfulness-based intervention (three individual sessions plus home practice) reduced depressive symptoms more than a control condition combining psycho-education and rest in 74 acutely depressed patients with chronic or recurrent depression. Only the mindfulness group showed increases in mindfulness and decreases in ruminative tendencies and cognitive reactivity. The findings suggest that targeted mindfulness training can help alleviate current symptoms and buffer maladaptive responses to negative mood in this population.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 74 |
| Population | Acutely depressed patients with chronic or recurrent lifetime history |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Keywords | Psychology Medicine |
| Key finding | A brief mindfulness-based intervention led to significantly stronger reductions in depressive symptoms compared to a control condition in acutely depressed patients. |
Abstract
BACKGROUND Training in mindfulness has been introduced to the treatment of depression as a means of relapse prevention. However, given its buffering effects on maladaptive responses to negative mood, mindfulness training would be expected to be particularly helpful in those who are currently suffering from symptoms. This study investigated whether a brief and targeted mindfulness-based intervention can reduce symptoms in acutely depressed patients. METHODS Seventy-four patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history were randomly allocated to receive either a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) encompassing three individual sessions and regular home practice or a control condition that combined psycho-educational components and regular rest periods using the same format as the MBI. Self-reported severity of symptoms, mindfulness in every day life, ruminative tendencies and cognitive reactivity were assessed before and after intervention. RESULTS Treatment completers in the MBI condition showed pronounced and significantly stronger reductions in symptoms than those in the control condition. In the MBI group only, patients showed significant increases in mindfulness, and significant reductions in ruminative tendencies and cognitive reactivity. CONCLUSIONS Brief targeted mindfulness interventions can help to reduce symptoms and buffer maladaptive responses to negative mood in acutely depressed patients with chronic or recurrent lifetime history.