Guided Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Community Residents with Emotional Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Daniel Kim-Wan Young, Per Carlbring, Daphne Yi-Ting Cheng, Siu-Man Ng, Petrus Yat-Nam Ng, Joseph Qi-Rong Chen
Social work March 19, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/sw/swae004 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA guided online mindfulness-based intervention (iMBI) reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms with a large effect size and improved mindfulness with a moderate effect size among community residents in Hong Kong experiencing emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a randomized controlled trial with 64 participants, those who received 16 online modules, weekly telephone counseling, and two half-day online workshops showed significantly greater improvements than a waitlist control group. The findings support the effectiveness of guided iMBI for emotional distress.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Community residents in Hong Kong experiencing emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Interventions | weekly telephone counseling and two half-day online workshops |
| Keywords | Chinese societies Emotional distress Mindfulness-based interventions Online interventions Randomized controlled trials |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | The guided online mindfulness-based intervention significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms with a large effect size and improved mindfulness with a moderate effect size compared to a waitlist control group. |
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a guided online mindfulness-based intervention (iMBI) for community residents experiencing emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. In a randomized controlled trial, 64 participants were recruited from collaborating community-based mental health service units in Hong Kong and assigned to either the treatment (n = 32) or control (n = 32) groups. The treatment group received a guided iMBI consisting of 16 online modules, weekly telephone counseling, and two half-day online workshops on mindfulness practice. In contrast, the waitlist control group did not receive any intervention during the initial stage. Using a 2 (two groups) × time (pre versus post) repeated measures linear mixed model and one-way analysis of variance, authors demonstrated that the treatment group experienced a significantly larger reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms with a large effect size compared with the control group. Additionally, the treatment group showed a significantly greater improvement in mindfulness with a moderate effect size. The findings support the effectiveness of guided iMBI for community residents experiencing emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.