Supported Mindfulness-Based Self-Help Intervention as an Adjunctive Treatment for Rapid Symptom Change in Emotional Disorders: A Practice-Oriented Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.
Yanjuan Li, Yi Zhang, Chun Wang, Jia Luo, Yang Yu, Shixing Feng, Chunxue Wang, Qianwen Xu, Pengchong Wang, Junxuan Chen, Ning Zhang, Qianmei Yu, Yuqing Liu, Danyun Chen, Stefan G Hofmann, Xinghua Liu
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1159/000542937
Summary
Facilitator-supported mindfulness-based self-help (MBSH) significantly enhances treatment for emotional disorders. In a multicenter randomized controlled trial with 302 patients, those receiving MBSH alongside traditional treatment showed notable improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms compared to the control group. Specifically, MBSH participants reported enhanced mindfulness, reduced perceived stress, and better sleep quality, with effect sizes ranging from Cohen's d = 0.19 to 0.51. These benefits emerged as early as three weeks into the intervention and were maintained at a three-month follow-up, highlighting MBSH’s potential as an effective adjunctive therapy.
Abstract
Rapid symptom relief is crucial for individuals with emotional disorders. The current study aimed to determine whether facilitator-supported mindfulness-based self-help (MBSH) intervention as an adjunctive treatment could provide rapid improvement for individuals with emotional disorders. A practice-oriented randomized controlled trial was conducted on a sample of 302 patients with emotional disorders from four centers. Participants were randomly assigned to either MBSH+TAU (treatment as usual; n = 152) or TAU-only group (n = 150). Assessments were conducted at baseline, week 3, week 5, immediately after intervention and at a 3-month follow-up. Primary outcomes included self-reported and clinician-reported anxiety and depression symptoms. Secondary outcomes included mindfulness, physical symptoms, perceived stress, sleep quality, and inner peace. The MBSH+TAU group achieved significantly greater improvements in all primary and secondary outcome measures as compared with TAU-only immediately after intervention (Cohen's d = 0.19-0.51). In addition, relatively greater improvements were observed in self-reported depression, mindfulness, physical symptoms, perceived stress, and inner peace as early as week 3 or 5, which were sustained at the 3-month follow-up (Cohen's d = 0.20-0.34). Facilitator-supported MBSH offers a scalable and effective adjunctive treatment option for patients with emotional disorders in clinical practice, facilitating rapid improvements.