Effects of Mindfulness Based Interventions in Adults and Older Adults Caregivers of Patients with Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Pilot Study.

A randomized controlled trial assigned 44 caregivers of people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease to either an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program or no treatment. After six months, caregivers who completed MBSR showed significant decreases in depression, overall burden, time-dependent burden, developmental burden, physical burden, and pain, alongside significant improvements in social burden, health-related role limitations, emotional role limitations, energy and fatigue, emotional well-being, social well-being, and general health. Untreated caregivers experienced worsening physical functioning and increased pain. Mindfulness training reduced burden and depression and improved multiple dimensions of quality of life for Alzheimer's caregivers.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Many studies have highlighted the effect of training with mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on the psycho-physical rebalancing of patients suffering from various pathologies, and their families. In this study, the effect of a training with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on quality of life and emotion regulation (depression) was verified in caregivers (CGs) of patients affected by Alzheimer's disease at early stage (AD-P). In this randomized controlled study, 22 CGs (age≥60 years) were treated with MBIs, in particular MBSR, and 22 CGs had no treatment. Tests (T0-T1 six months) included: SF 36-Quality of Life (QoL); Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI); FACIT-Spiritual-Well-Being; Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); Everyday Cognition scales; and Mini-Mental State Examination (for AD-P). Significant differences emerged between T0 and T1 for CGs with MBSR in the following dimensions: Depression-BDI (p > 0.001), Burden CBI-Total (0.001), CBI-Time dependent burden (p < 0.001), CBI-Developmental burden (p < 0.001), CBI-Physical burden (p < 0.001); and pain (p = 0.002) all decreased; while CBI-Social burden (p = 0.004), QoL-Health Role Limitation (p < 0.000), QoL-Role-Limitation-Emotional-Problem (p < 0.000), QoL-Energy-fatigue (p < 0.000), QoL-Emotional Well-Being (p < 0.001), QoL-Social Well Being (p = 0.010), and QoL-General Health (p = 0.004) increased. The control group of untreated CG showed a significant worsening in the dimensions of Physical functioning (p = 0.036) and pain (p = 0.047). AD-CGs treated with MBI reduced their burden and depression and experienced an improvement in all the dimensions of quality of life.