The Effect of Mindfulness Breathing-Exercise on Stress and Depression Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Diseases

A single-blind randomized controlled trial tested mindfulness-based breathing-therapy in 100 adults with chronic diseases. The experimental group received three weekly 60-minute sessions plus a 20-minute individual breathing session; the control group sat quietly for 20 minutes. The therapy reduced perceived stress (31.92 vs. 34.60) and depression scores (2.01 vs. 4.42) compared to the control condition. The authors suggest regular mindfulness-based breathing-therapy may be important for managing stress and depression in primary care for chronic diseases.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of mindfulness-based breathing-therapy on stress and well-being in individuals with chronic diseases. Methods: The study was conducted with single-blind randomised-controlled trial design and conducted with patients with chronic disease. 100 patients were randomly assigned to experimental (n=50) and control groups (n=50). Breathing-therapy received on each patient individually for 20 minutes in the experimental group. The sole requirement for the patients in the control group was to sit in a relaxed position for 20 minutes in a place without sound. Experimental received 60 minutes of breathing-therapy once a week for a total of three sessions. "Personal Information Form, Perceived Stress Scale and Beck Depression Screening Scale for Primary Care" were used for data collection. Results: Participant average age was 47.50 (SD, 18.79), with participants aged between 18 and 80 years. The number of female participants (62%) was higher than males (38%). Half of the participants had completed high school and university. Most of the participants were not working and their economic situation was middle. The number of years since chronic disease diagnosis ranged from 1 to 39 years. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of socio-demographic and clinical characteristics (p .05). The result of the study revealed that the therapy decreased the severity of stress (31.92 vs. 34.60) and depression (2.01 vs. 4.42) in patients with chronic diseases (p < .05). Conclusion: Mindfulness-based Breathing-therapy decreased stress level, depression in patients with chronic diseases. Our findings suggest regular mindfulness-based Breathing-therapy for stress and depression is important in the in the primary care of chronic diseases. We believe that these studies would contribute significantly to the management of chronic diseases.