People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) report greater emotion dysregulation, which is associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, and reduced quality of life. Given the transdiagnostic significance of emotion dysregulation, the current study was designed to assess the feasibility and treatment effects of mindfulness meditation in reducing emotion dysregulation for PwMS. Method: Sixty-one PwMS were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: 4-week mindfulness-based training (MBT), 4-week adaptive cognitive training (aCT), or a waitlist control group. Using self-report and behavioral measures, we examined the effects of MBT on emotion dysregulation, use of emotion regulation strategies, experience of negative and positive affect, and overall quality of life. Results: Mindfulness training was associated with reduced emotion dysregulation compared with the adaptive cognitive training and the waitlist control group ( p 2 ϭ .20). Relative to the waitlist group, the MBT group also demonstrated reductions on a composite score of preservative cognition, measuring rumination and worry ( p 2 ϭ .15). However, there was no differential use of emotion regulation strategies or between-groups differences in overall quality of life as a function of training. Conclusions: Our pilot study provides preliminary support for MBT to reduce self-reported emotion dysregulation in PwMS. Given the widespread prevalence of mental health disturbances in this population, MBT can serve as a promising rehabilitation tool for PwMS (clinicaltrials.gov # NCT02717429).
Impact and ImplicationsThis pilot RCT provides support for a brief, 4-week, mindfulness-based training to reduce emotion dysregulation in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by comparing mindfulness training to an active control group, matching important intervention components, including group-based format, facilitator contact, and homework assignments, and implementing strategic recruitment efforts to minimize demand characteristics. Critically, MS-related declines in physical and cognitive functioning may serve as barriers to other potential psychosocial interventions targeting emotion dysregulation, thus making this brief, group-based, mindfulness training an ideal candidate for improving psychosocial wellness in those with MS.
Rumination (negative thinking about the past) and worry (anxious apprehension) are two forms of repetitive thinking associated with psychopathology. Prior research indicates that rumination and worry have both distinct and overlapping features, but the extent to which there are separable groups of individuals who engage in rumination, worry, or both has yet to be examined. We used latent profile analysis, a personcentered statistical technique, to examine profiles of repetitive thinkers in two samples (ns ¼ 635 and 755). In both studies, profiles emerged of individuals who rarely ruminate or worry (low repetitive thinkers), individuals who primarily ruminate (ruminators), individuals who primarily worry (worriers), and individuals who frequently ruminate and worry (high repetitive thinkers). In Study 2, a fifth profile of average repetitive thinkers also emerged. Across both samples, high repetitive thinkers showed the highest levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, followed by worriers and ruminators, and then by low repetitive thinkers. In Study 2, the average repetitive thinkers fell below the ruminators and worriers but above the low repetitive thinkers. Thus, there are distinct groups of ruminators and worriers, but individuals who engage in both rumination and worry exhibit the worst outcomes. As such, these findings support adopting a person-centered approach to better understand repetitive thinking styles.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.