Association of participation in a mindfulness programme with bowel symptoms, gastrointestinal symptom‐specific anxiety and quality of life
David J. Kearney, Kelly McDermott, Michelle E. Martinez, Tracy L. Simpson
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics June 9, 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04731.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective cohort study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 93 |
| Population | Participants in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, including 43 meeting Rome III IBS criteria |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 6 months (assessments at baseline, 2 months, and 6 months) |
| Measures | IBS-Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS), IBS-Quality of Life (IBS-QOL), Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), SF-8 |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Citations | 63 |
| Key findings | At 6 months, MBSR participation was associated with significant improvements in IBS-related quality of life (IBS-QOL: d = 0.33) and GI-specific anxiety (VSI: d = -0.40), but not in bowel symptom severity (IBS-SSS: d = -0.36). Among Rome III IBS patients, changes were not statistically significant, but change in VSI correlated with change in mindfulness (r = 0.33). |
Abstract
Background: Stress perception and GI-specific anxiety play key roles in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a widely available stress reduction course, which has not been evaluated for IBS.
Aim: To determine whether participation in MBSR is associated with improvement in bowel symptoms, GI-specific anxiety, and IBS-Quality of Life.
Methods: This is a prospective study of 93 participants in MBSR. We applied measures of Rome III IBS status, bowel symptoms (IBS-Severity Scoring System, IBS-SSS), IBS-Quality of Life (IBS-QOL), GI-specific anxiety (Visceral Sensitivity Index, VSI), mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-FFMQ), and functional status (SF-8) at baseline and 2 and 6 months after enrolment.
Results: At 2 months, participation in MBSR was associated with small nonsignificant changes in IBS-SSS, IBS-QOL and VSI: d = -0.25, d = 0.08, d = -0.16, respectively. At 6 months, there was no significant change in IBS-SSS (d = -0.36); whereas for IBS-QOL and VSI there were significant improvements (IBS-QOL: d = 0.33, P = 0.044; VSI: d = -0.40, P = 0.014). For patients meeting Rome III IBS criteria (n = 43), changes in IBS-SSS, IBS-QOL and VSI were not statistically significant, but there was a significant correlation between the change in VSI and the change in FFMQ across the three time periods (r = 0.33).
Conclusions: Participation in MBSR is associated with improvement IBS-related quality of life and GI-specific anxiety. Randomised controlled trials are warranted to further assess the role of MBSR for IBS symptomatology.