Feasibility of a meditation intervention for stroke survivors and informal caregivers: a randomized controlled trial.
Jennifer E S Beauchamp, Anjail Sharrief, Alejandro Chaoul, Tahani Casameni Montiel, Mary F Love, Stanley G. Cron, Alan Prossin, Sudhakar Selvaraj, Deniz Dishman, Sean I Savitz
BMC Psychology January 12, 2023 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-022-01031-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial (feasibility study) Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 71 |
| Population | Stroke survivors and their informal caregivers |
| Interventions | Meditation Expressive writing |
| Duration | 4-week intervention with follow-up 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention period |
| Measures | Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI), Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-sf) |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health Stroke |
| Registration | NCT03239132 |
| Key findings | The meditation intervention did not significantly reduce depressive symptoms compared with expressive writing, and no between-group differences emerged on any measure. Retention was low (26 of 71 completers). Within-group improvements appeared for stroke survivors' pain severity and caregivers' trait anxiety, but the authors frame these as preliminary and call for better retention and adherence strategies before definitive efficacy testing. |
Abstract
Depressive symptoms are a significant psychological complication of stroke, impacting both survivors and informal caregivers of survivors. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine optimal non-pharmacological strategies to prevent or ameliorate depressive symptoms in stroke survivors and their informal caregivers. A prospective, randomized, parallel-group, single-center, feasibility study. Participants were assigned to a 4-week meditation intervention or expressive writing control group. The intervention comprised four facilitator-led group meditation sessions, one session per week and building upon prior session(s). Descriptive statistics were used to examine the proportion of eligible individuals who enrolled, retention and adherence rates, and the proportion of questionnaires completed. Data were collected at baseline, immediately after the 4-week intervention period, and 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention period. Secondary analysis tested for changes in symptoms of depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression [CES-D]), anxiety [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI)], and pain (Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form) in the intervention group via paired t tests. Linear mixed models were used to compare longitudinal changes in the measures between the groups. Intervention and trial design acceptability were preliminary explored. Seventy-one (77%) individuals enrolled and 26 (37%) completed the study (baseline and 8-week post-intervention visits completed). Forty-two (66%) participants completed baseline and immediate post-intervention visits. Mean questionnaire completion rate was 95%. The median meditation group session attendance rate for the intervention group was 75.0%, and the mean attendance rate was 55%. Non-significant reductions in CES-D scores were found. Paired t tests for stroke survivors indicated a significant reduction from baseline through week 8 in BPI-sf severity scores (p = 0.0270). Repeated measures analysis with linear mixed models for informal caregivers indicated a significant reduction in in STAI-Trait scores (F [3,16.2] = 3.28, p = 0.0479) and paired t test showed a significant reduction from baseline to week 4 in STAI-Trait scores (mean = - 9.1250, 95% CI [- 16.8060 to 1.4440], p = 0.0262). No between-group differences were found. Future trials will require strategies to optimize retention and adherence before definitive efficacy testing of the meditation intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03239132. Registration date: 03/08/2017.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Intervention on Depressive Symptoms in Emerging Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine 2022
- Mindfulness Meditation Effects on Poststroke Spasticity: A Feasibility Study. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine 2019