The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on the Mental Health of Family Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Caregivers of people with chronic conditions are more likely than non-caregivers to have depression and emotional problems. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in improving their mental well-being. Methods: Caregivers of persons with chronic conditions who scored 7 or above in the Caregiver Strain Index were randomly assigned to the 8-week MBSR group (n = 70) or the self-help control group (n = 71). Validated instruments were used to assess the changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms, quality of life, self-efficacy, self-compassion and mindfulness. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. Results: Compared to the participants in the control group, participants in the MBSR group had a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms at post-intervention and at 3 months post-intervention (p < 0.01). The improvement in state anxiety symptoms was significantly greater among participants in the MBSR group than those of the control group at post-intervention (p = 0.007), although this difference was not statistically significant at 3 months post-intervention (p = 0.084). There was also a statistically significant larger increase in self-efficacy (controlling negative thoughts; p = 0.041) and mindfulness (p = 0.001) among participants in the MBSR group at the 3-month follow-up compared to the participants in the control group. No statistically significant group effects (MBSR vs. control) were found in perceived stress, quality of life or self-compassion. Conclusions: MBSR appears to be a feasible and acceptable intervention to improve mental health among family caregivers with significant care burden, although further studies that include an active control group are needed to make the findings more conclusive.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Chronic Insomnia in Adults Older than 75 Years: A Randomized, Controlled, Single-Blind Clinical Trial

“…Several clinical trials and reviews have demonstrated that mindfulness-based therapies also appear to be feasible and acceptable for improving depressive or anxiety symptoms of participants. [51][52][53][54][55][56][57] In our study, the results suggest that the MBSR program improves depressive symptoms in elderly adults (over 75 years of age) with chronic insomnia. However, a significant improvement in anxiety symptoms was not observed in the present study.…”

Current Psychosomatic Practice

“…These interventions may improve lifestyle and self-management, coping, quality of life, distress (especially depression and anxiety), course of physical illness, treatment adherence, and reduction in utilization of medical services [157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,168,169,170,171,172,173,174,175,176,177]. Dealing with the psychological distress of family caregivers is another important area of action [178]. …”

A pilot randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for caregivers of family members with dementia

“…To date, several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have examined the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in alleviating AD/dementia caregiver burden and stress (Hou et al, 2014; Oken et al, 2010; Whitebird et al, 2012). The findings, most based on self-reported mental health and care relationship outcomes, provide preliminary support for the utility of mindfulness training in reducing caregiver burden and improving their psychological well-being.…”