Skip to content

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Young People and Their Carers: a Mixed-Method Feasibility Study.

Daniel N Racey, Jerry Fox, Vashti L Berry, Kelly V Blockley, Rachel A Longridge, Jennifer L Simmons, Astrid Janssens, Willem Kuyken, Tamsin Ford

Mindfulness 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-017-0842-7 (opens in new tab)

The journal has published a correction to this paper. Read the correction (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Mixed-method service evaluation Qualitative Peer reviewed
Sample size 39
Population Young people recovering from depression (n=18) and their parents (n=21), plus clinicians working with them
Intervention Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
Duration Eight-session programme; follow-up of one year for additional contact
Topics Depression Meditation
Keywords Parents Young people
Key points The authors report that MBCT was acceptable and feasible for young people recovering from depression and for their parents, with 84% attending at least 6/8 sessions and 48% requiring no further intervention within a year. Young people improved significantly on all outcome measures, and parents improved significantly in rumination, self-compassion, and decentring. The parallel parent course was described as providing personal support and promoting shared understanding of depression.

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was feasible and acceptable for young people, their parents and the clinicians working with them; whether a parallel course for parents was a useful addition; and whether attendance at MBCT was associated with improved outcomes. The design was a mixed-method service evaluation of an eight-session MBCT programme for young people who were recovering from depression. The course was a manualised eight-session group intervention. Both young people (n = 18) and parents (n = 21) completed validated measures before and after the course. Semi-structured interviews were completed with some group participants and clinical staff working in the service. Care records were searched for additional contact following the intervention. Qualitative data from young people, parents and clinicians suggested that MBCT was acceptable and feasible and provided strategies to cope. The parent course was reported to provide personal support to parents and helped them cope with their child's depression whilst also impacting the family, promoted shared understanding of depression and strategies to combat it and addressed intergenerational aspects of depression. Eighty-four per cent of participants attended at least 6/8 sessions, and 48% required no further intervention within the following year. Young people had statistically significant improvements across all outcome measures, whilst parents had statistically significant improvements in rumination, self-compassion and decentring.

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

Citations in the library

Cited by 5

Cites 9

and 4 more in the library

Explore topics