In a four-week mindfulness-based intervention for chronic pain, informal home practice—such as brief breathing spaces and mindful daily activities—was linked to improvements in pain interference, physical function, sleep, anxiety, positive affect, and catastrophizing. Formal guided practices like breath meditation and body scans showed no significant association with any outcome. On average, participants completed informal practice on 3.5 days per week for 8.6 minutes per day, and formal practice on 4.3 days per week for 13.5 minutes per day. The findings suggest that for abbreviated mindfulness programs, the type of home practice matters more than the amount of time spent.
A telephone-delivered mindfulness training program for informal caregivers of African Americans with dementia living in rural North Carolina was feasible and acceptable. Of those screened, 78% enrolled, 86% completed the study, and 88% attended at least six of eight weekly sessions. Caregivers reported reduced perceived burden and increased positive emotions from before to after the intervention. Both inhibitory and prospective intolerance of uncertainty also decreased. Participants valued the program, especially the telephone format. The findings suggest this approach may help reduce caregiver burden in underserved rural populations and warrants testing in a randomized trial.