Effects of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy on Emotional Processing

Summary

Background: In the last 30 years mindfulness-based approaches have been extensively used for a variety of mental disorders, including affective disorders characterized by emotional instability. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week intervention that combines mindfulness practices with cognitive behavioural therapy. Although changes in emotional processing have been postulated as one of mindfulness mechanisms of action, the effects of mindfulness-based programs on objective tasks of emotional processing have been poorly studied.

Objective: To explore the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on emotional processing in a sample of individuals with emotional instability attended in a mental-health public service.

Methods: The sample (n = 30) will be recruited from public mental-health outpatient centers in Barcelona, Spain. Inclusion criteria: 1) high emotional instability defined as scores above 96 on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), 2) age between 18 and 65 years, 4) no prior experience with mindfulness/meditation. Exclusion criteria: 1) risk of suicide (attempted suicide in the last year or current suicidal ideation). Psychotropic medication will be permitted, as long as there are no changes in dose/type during the study period.

Measures Diagnostic measures (MINI, DERS, CGI) and a complete medical register will be collected prior inclusion in the study. Additional measures on personality (ZKPQ) and temperament (Temps-A) will be collected as well.

Primary outcome:

Emotional processing task: Participants will complete the FERT task at two time points: baseline (pre-treatment) and 8 weeks (post-treatment).

Secondary outcomes:

In addition, participants will complete the following assessments (pre-and-post- treatment):

* Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-16)
* Anxiety Symptoms (STAI)
* Mindfulness (FFMQ and EQ).

Treatment Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a manualized, 8 weeks-group-based training derived from mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). In MBCT participants are trained in how to be more aware of their bodily sensations, thoughts and feelings associated with negative emotional states. Mindfulness exercises and cognitive-behavioral skills are practiced both during the sessions and through homework assignments. The program is structured in 2.30 h group sessions over 8 consecutive weeks.

Conditions

• Unipolar Depression
• Anxiety Disorders
• Adjustment Disorders
• Emotional Instability

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a manualized, 8 weeks-group-based training derived from mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). In MBCT participants are trained in how to be more aware of their bodily sensations, thoughts and feelings associated with negative emotional states. Mindfulness exercises and cognitive-behavioral skills are practiced both during the sessions and through homework assignments. The program is structured in 2.30 h group sessions over 8 consecutive weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Parc de Salut Mar

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-01

Primary Completion

2018-04-01

Completion

2018-04-01

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations