Effectiveness of Caregiver Training in Mindfulness-Based Positive Behavior Support (MBPBS) vs. Training-as-Usual (TAU): A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often end up having their medical and psychological well-being compromised due to the stressful nature of caregiving, especially when those in their care engage in aggressive behavior. In this study, we provided caregivers with mindfulness-based training to enable them to better manage their psychological well-being and, through this, to also enhance specific indices of quality of life of the individuals in their care. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) the comparative effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Positive Behavior Support (MBPBS) and Training-as-Usual (TAU) for caregivers in a congregate care facility for individuals with severe and profound IDD. The comparative effects of the two training conditions were assessed in terms of caregiver variables care recipient variable (number of aggressive events), and agency variables Results showed that MBPBS was significantly more effective than TAU in enabling the caregivers to manage their perceived psychological stress, and to reduce the use of physical restraints and stat medications for aggressive behavior of the individuals in their care. In addition, there were significant reductions in aggressive events by the individuals in their care, 1:1 staffing of individuals with aggressive behavior, and staff turnover. Furthermore, the MBPBS training was significantly more cost-effective than the TAU training. If replicated in future RCT studies, MBPBS may provide an effective means of enhancing socially acceptable bidirectional engagement of caregivers and care recipients within a person-centered context.

Implementing Mindfulness in the Mainstream: Making the Path by Walking It

“…Conversely, on the other side of the spectrum, some raise the concern that because MBPs are not sufficiently explicit about the Buddhist roots, the interventions do not offer a robust enough context for the teaching process. As a response to this, second-generation mindfulness programs are being developed, researched, and implemented which make the Buddhist underpinning explicit rather than implicit (Shonin et al 2014 ; Singh et al 2016 ). These will offer another choice to those seeking to train in mindfulness.…”

A systematic review of fidelity measurements in complex interventions for people with intellectual disabilities and behaviours that challenge

“…Four out of five studies had reported specific mechanisms used to produce random sequence generation (Ingersoll et al, 2016;Singh et al, 2016;Hassiotis et al, 2009;Reitzel et al, 2013).…”

“…Two studies had provided information about allocation concealment (Singh et al, 2016;Johnson et al, 2013). Blinding of participants, personnel and outcome assessors were stated in one study (Reitzel et al, 2013).…”

“…Blinding of participants, personnel and outcome assessors were stated in one study (Reitzel et al, 2013). Missing outcome data and its reasons were reported in four studies (Ingersoll et al, 2016;Singh et al, 2016;Hassiotis et al, 2009;Reitzel et al, 2013).…”

Effects of Meditation on the Soles of the Feet on the Aggressive and Destructive Behaviors of Chinese Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…For over three decades, MBPs have proven effective in the treatment of a large number of disorders and diseases (Baer 2014). Specifically, various MBPs have emerged across different clinical areas, such as the mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) for physical and mental health (Kabat-Zinn 1990, 2003, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for depression (Segal et al 2005), mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) for addictive behaviors (Bowen et al 2011), mindfulness-based eating awareness training (MB-EAT) for eating disorders (Kristeller and Wolever 2011), and mindfulness-based positive behavior support (MBPBS) for stress and challenging behaviors (Singh et al 2016).…”