Identifying Therapeutic Factors in an 8-Week (30 Hour) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program (mbsr)

North York General Hospital

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Hypertension; Diabetes; Cancer

Treatments: Behavioral: Teaching Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction strategies

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01599143

NYGH REB # 09-0041

Details and patient eligibility

About

Since it's introduction in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has become a respected adjunct to conventional treatment for patients suffering from many diverse chronic ailments. Three decades of research have documented it's benefits, but few papers have focused on identifying which particular aspect of MBSR directly correlates with it's degree of therapeutic efficacy. This study will use 7 well validated questionnaires to compare participants responses prior to, and following completion of an eight-week MBSR program at the North York General Hospital, as well as follow-up results at 1 month and 1 year post completion of the MBSR group.

Full description

As above

Enrollment: 135 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• over 18 years old
• suffer from a chronic health problem
• referred by their physician

Exclusion criteria

• acute illness (physical or psychiatric)
• suicidal
• problem use of alcohol or other substances
• inability to do one hour of daily homework
• inability to attend all 8 sessions

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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135 participants in 1 patient group

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction group

Experimental group

Description:

All eligible participants attend a 3-hour weekly session, for 8 consecutive weeks, to learn meditation and simple Hatha Yoga techniques, and incorporate them into their daily lives.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Teaching Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction strategies