A Pilot Feasibility Study of Mindful Walking in Older Adults: Exploratory Bayesian Estimates of Psychological Distress and Alexithymia

An 8-week mindful walking program was tested in 13 community-dwelling older adults. The program showed high acceptability, satisfaction, and full adherence. Exploratory analyses indicated within-person reductions in depressive symptoms and alexithymia, with somatic symptoms decreasing notably by one-month follow-up. Mindfulness increased and was maintained, while mind wandering showed a probable long-term decrease. Psychological quality of life improved and stayed elevated, but physical, social, and environmental domains showed uncertain trends. Trait anxiety decreased after the program but returned toward baseline at follow-up; state anxiety and attachment styles remained stable. The authors suggest mindful walking may be feasible for older adults, with preliminary signals pending confirmation in controlled trials.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Population aging demands accessible interventions for psychological well-being in later life. This work evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-week mindful walking program in community-dwelling older adults and generated exploratory estimates of within-person change across emotional, psychosomatic, and psychological outcomes. Thirteen community-dwelling older adults participated in a pilot human trial with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Measures included depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, mindfulness, mind wandering, alexithymia, quality of life, and attachment style. Primary feasibility outcomes indicated high acceptability and participant satisfaction, good physiological tolerance and full adherence. Secondary exploratory analyses suggested within-person reductions in depressive symptoms and alexithymia, while somatic symptoms decreased notably by follow-up. Mindfulness increased and was maintained over time, while mind wandering displayed a probable long-term decrease. Psychological quality of life improved and remained elevated, whereas physical, social, and environmental quality-of-life domains showed uncertain trends. Trait anxiety decreased post-intervention but returned toward baseline at follow-up, while state anxiety and attachment styles remained stable. Within pilot design limits, mindful walking may be a feasible intervention for older adults, associated with exploratory within-person patterns suggesting possible improvements in certain psychological outcomes, which should be interpreted as preliminary and descriptive signals pending confirmation in controlled trials. These preliminary findings support further investigation in controlled trials to determine effectiveness and to formally test hypothesized mechanisms.