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The experience of meditation for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their caregivers - a qualitative analysis.

Anna Marconi, Gaia Gragnano, Christian Lunetta, Ramona Gatto, Viviana Fabiani, Aurora Tagliaferri, Gabriella Rossi, Valeria Sansone, Francesco Pagnini

Psychology, Health & Medicine September 2016 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2015.1115110 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their caregivers who joined a meditation program for ALS
Intervention Meditation training program tailored for ALS needs
Topics Meditation
Keywords Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Caregivers Psychological interventions Quality of life
Key findings People with ALS and their caregivers reported that the meditation program improved their psychological well-being, which they attributed to increased acceptance and a non-judgmental attitude, along with better coping strategies and resilience skills. The authors conclude the program seems to be an effective psychological intervention for promoting well-being in this population.

Abstract

There is a lack of studies about psychological interventions for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their caregivers. We investigated the experience of a meditation training program tailored for ALS needs. People with ALS (pALS) and their caregivers that joined a meditation program for ALS were interviewed at the end of the program. Verbatims were analyzed with a qualitative approach. Both pALS and their caregivers reported a positive impact on their psychological well-being, promoted by an increase in acceptance and non-judgmental attitude. Furthermore, coping strategies seem to improve, with a positive effect on resilience skills. The ALS meditation training program seems to be an effective psychological intervention for the promotion of well-being in pALS and their caregivers.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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