Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Emotionally disturbed Adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS
Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2010 DOI: 10.1177/0973134220100104 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 13-16 years living with HIV-positive parents |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MCBT) |
| Duration | 12-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | MCBT reduced symptoms of emotional disturbances (internalizing problems, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, perceived stress) to clinically significant levels on self and teacher reports, with high feasibility and acceptability, but limited by small sample size and lack of diagnostic criteria. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based approaches have been shown to be useful in a variety of physical and mental health conditions including chronic pain, cancer, psoriasis, eating disorders, anxiety and depression. Mindfulness based CBT finds its origins in Eastern Buddhist meditation which began many centuries ago. Recent studies on CBT with mindfulness have shown psychological effectiveness across a wide range of clinical problems. These include anxiety, depression, stress management, OCD, social anxiety and personality disorders. Clinical reports suggest that mindfulness based therapies can be useful in treating anxiety and depressive symptoms in school-age children. Although there are limited clinical trials of mindfulness based treatment approaches with children, these approaches have been effective in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MCBT) for the treatment of emotional problems (internalizing problems, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and perceived stress) in a sample of adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS. Twelve children ages 13 to 16 years, living with HIV positive parents participated in the 12-week intervention. Assessments were conducted at baseline and post-treatment with the help of self-report and teacher-report measures. Analysis found preliminary support for MCBT as useful in reducing symptoms of emotional disturbances on self and teacher reports to the levels of clinical significance and reliable change. The high attendance rate, high retention rate, adequate compliance, and positive feedback supported treatment feasibility and acceptability. Findings of this study offer MCBT as a potential treatment for emotional disturbances in HIV/AIDS affected adolescents with adequate feasibility and acceptability. However, further research is needed to test the efficacy of the intervention with a larger sample of such adolescents and also with those who meet diagnostic criteria for clinical disorders.