Treatment Engagement and Outcomes of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Veterans with Psychiatric Disorders.
William R. Marchand, Brandon Yabko, Tracy Herrmann, Heather Curtis, Ryan Lackner
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine September 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2018.0511 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective chart review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 98 |
| Population | Veterans with psychiatric illness enrolled in an MBCT class at a Veterans Administration Medical Center |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention; pre- and post-intervention periods each 2 years |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Outcomes Veterans |
| Key findings | Among veterans who had at least one psychiatric admission in the two years before or after the intervention, psychiatric admissions decreased significantly from pre- to post-MBCT, while emergency department visits showed no significant change. |
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate utilization and outcomes of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) provided to veterans with psychiatric disorders.
Design: Retrospective chart review. Settings: Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC). Subjects: Ninety-eight veterans with psychiatric illness who were enrolled in an MBCT class between May of 2012 and January of 2016. Subjects were predominately white (95%), male (81%), and >50 years old (74%). The most common psychiatric conditions were any mood disorder (82%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (54%). Intervention: Eight-week MBCT class. Outcome measures: Session attendance and pre- to postintervention changes in numbers of emergency department (ED) visits and psychiatric hospitalizations.
Results: The average number of sessions attended was 4.87 of 8 and only 16% were present for all sessions. Veteran demographic variables did not predict the number of MBCT sessions attended. However, both greater numbers of pre-MBCT ED visits (p = 0.004) and psychiatric admissions (p = 0.031) were associated with attending fewer sessions. Among patients who experienced at least one pre- or post-treatment psychiatric admission in the 2 years pre- or postintervention (N = 26, 27%), there was a significant reduction in psychiatric admissions from pre to post (p = 0.002). There was no significant change in ED visits (p = 0.535).
Conclusions: MBCT may be challenging to implement for veterans with psychiatric illness in, at least some, outpatient VAMC settings due to a high attrition rate. Possible mediation approaches include development of methods to screen for high dropout risk and/or development of shorter mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and/or coupling MBIs with pleasurable activities. The finding of a significant decrease in psychiatric hospitalizations from pre- to post-MBCT suggests that prospective studies are warranted utilizing MBCT for veterans at high risk for psychiatric hospitalization.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION OF MILITARY PERSONNEL THROUGH MINDFULNESS PRACTICES: CURRENT TENDENCIES AND EFFICIENCY Problems of engineer-pedagogical education December 30, 2025
- Nonrandomized Open Trial of a Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Selective Preventive Mobile Health Intervention for Forcibly Displaced People. Mindfulness October 2, 2025
- Mindfulness-based interventions for military veterans: A systematic review and analysis of the literature. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice February 2021
- A Brief Report on an 8-Week Course of Mindfulness-based Care for Chronic Pain in the Treatment of Veterans With Back Pain: Barriers Encountered to Treatment Engagement and Lessons Learned. Medical Care September 2020
- Veterans' interests, perceptions, and use of mindfulness. SAGE Open Medicine July 31, 2020
Cites 41
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing relapse in recurrent depression: A randomized dismantling trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology December 3, 2013
- A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Depression and Anxiety April 17, 2013
and 36 more in the library