Evaluation of a Modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention for Adults with Cerebral Palsy and Anxiety and/or Emotion Regulation Difficulties—A Randomised Control Trial
Reviewed by Jaishree Capoor
Citation: Smithers-Sheedy, H.; Waight, E.; Swinburn, K.L.; Given, F.; Hooke, K.; Webb, A.; McIntyre, S.; Henry, G.; Honan, I. Evaluation of a Modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention for Adults with Cerebral Palsy and Anxiety and/or Emotion Regulation Difficulties—A Randomised Control Trial. J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13, 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13010001
Study Type/Population: A randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a modified telehealth Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on enhancing mindfulness and reducing depression, anxiety, and emotional regulation difficulties in adults aged 20-35 with cerebral palsy (CP) experiencing elevated levels of anxiety and/or emotional regulation challenges. The study involved 31 adults with CP in Australia, who were randomly allocated to either the MBSR intervention program (comprising 90-minute sessions weekly for 9 weeks) or a waitlist control group.
Key Findings: The study found no statistically significant improvement between the groups in self-reported mindfulness scores among adults with CP participating in the modified telehealth MBSR program. However, participants in the intervention group reported immediate improvements in depression, stress, and emotional regulation scores following the MBSR intervention, with sustained improvements in emotional regulation observed at the 8-week follow-up.
Translation to Practice: A modified MBSR program is an essential tool for promoting improved mental health difficulties in adults with CP which are prevalent in adults with CP. The study demonstrates that MBSR programs can be adapted to improve the symptoms of depression, stress, and emotion regulation challenges in adults with CP. Future research should prioritize larger sample sizes to ensure sufficient statistical power when evaluating the impact of MBSR on mindfulness in this population.