Effects of a Brief Mindfulness-based Intervention in Patients with Psoriasis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Markus Eckardt, Laura Stadtmueller, Christoph Zick, Jörg Kupfer, Christina Schut
Acta dermato-venereologica April 19, 2024 DOI: 10.2340/actadv.v104.18277 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 2-week mindfulness-based intervention for patients with psoriasis produced a significant increase in self-reported mindfulness and a tendency toward increased self-compassion compared with treatment as usual alone. No other significant effects emerged for itch catastrophizing, social anxiety, stress, or skin status; in fact, the control group showed greater improvement in skin status. The results suggest that even a brief mindfulness intervention may enhance mindfulness and possibly self-compassion, but further research is needed to confirm these findings and identify which patients benefit most.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 39 |
| Population | Patients with psoriasis |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Duration | 2-week intervention, 3-month follow-up |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key finding | A 2-week mindfulness-based intervention significantly increased self-reported mindfulness and showed a tendency to increase self-compassion in patients with psoriasis, but did not significantly improve other outcomes and the control group had greater skin status improvement. |
Abstract
Mindfulness is a special type of attention, namely focusing on the current moment in a non-judgmental manner. Extensive mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to have positive effects in patients with psoriasis. However, it is unclear whether brief (2-week) interventions are also beneficial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 2-week mindfulness-based intervention in patients with psoriasis. Patients were randomly assigned to an experimental (treatment-as-usual + mindfulness-based intervention) or control group (treatment-as-usual) during their clinic stay. All variables were measured by self-report using validated questionnaires: primary outcomes were mindfulness and self-compassion, secondary outcomes were itch catastrophizing, social anxiety, stress and skin status. Variables were assessed prior to, immediately and 3 months after the intervention. Effects were tested by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Analyses of pre-post-measurements (n = 39) revealed a significant interaction effect on self-reported mindfulness [F(1,35) = 7.46, p = 0.010, η2p = 0.18] and a tendency to a significant effect on self-reported self-compassion [F(1,36) = 3.03, p = 0.090, η2p = 0.08]. There were no other significant effects, but most descriptive data were in favour of the experimental group. However, the control group showed a greater improvement in skin status. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and investigate which subgroups especially profit from such an intervention.