An adapted 8-week virtual mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) group intervention for Black adults with posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms showed fair feasibility (70% overall) but low completion in the MBCT group (54%) compared to a waitlist control (90%). Among the 46 participants (89.3% women) recruited from an urban safety net hospital, acceptability was high for those who completed the program. Perceived barriers to psychological treatment were high (over 9). The intervention improved coping skills and led to positive health changes, but success depends on reducing engagement obstacles; further studies are needed.
Black adults in low-income urban settings experience high rates of trauma, PTSD, and depression but face treatment barriers. In a pilot randomized controlled trial, 80 Black adults with repeated trauma exposure and comorbid PTSD and depression were assigned to an adapted 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) or a waitlist control. No significant difference in overall PTSD or depression symptom reduction emerged between groups. However, avoidance symptoms—a specific PTSD cluster—decreased more in the MBCT group. These preliminary results suggest MBCT may help address avoidance in this population, but the study lacked statistical power for definitive conclusions.
A clinical trial tested whether adding vibration to breath-focused mindfulness meditation (VABF) reduces respiration rate or variability in trauma-exposed adults with dissociation. 128 participants were randomly assigned to VABF, breath-focus only, vibration only, or open awareness. VABF decreased respiration variability across visits, while all other interventions increased it. Respiration variability was positively associated with anxiety and anger ratings. The findings suggest respiration variability is a meaningful metric for examining regulatory processes and is modifiable through VABF, which holds promise as an intervention for trauma-exposed populations.