Effects of Mindfulness-Based Elder Care (MBEC) on symptoms of depression and anxiety and spiritual well-being of institutionalized seniors with disabilities: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background Despite the need to incorporate seniors from various settings into mindfulness-based empirical research, issues of geriatric frailties and non-compliance remain. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based elder care (MBEC) program on mental health and spiritual well-being among seniors with disabilities in long-term care residential settings. Methods This single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) randomly assigned seventy-seven participants into an MBEC group or control group of an eight-week MBEC program. Participants were assessed every four weeks at baseline (T0), mid-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2) and follow-up (T3) using the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), respectively. Results Linear mixed model (LMM) showed that MBEC participants’ mental health improved significantly after completing the intervention; compared with controls, the MBEC group exhibited significantly lower anxiety (state-anxiety at T2; trait-anxiety at T2 and T3) and fewer depressive symptoms. Spiritual well-being was also significantly enhanced compared to that in the control group. Conclusions MBEC has positive effects on both mental health and spiritual well-being outcomes among seniors with disabilities. In long-term care facilities, seniors with abilities have the potential to adhere to and engage in activities of a mindfulness-based intervention. This low risk, easily accessible, and effective 8-week program is recommended to be integrated into regular long-term care institutional routines. Trial registration This study was registered with Clinical Trial Registry (ClinicalTrials.gov – U.S. National Library of Medicine #NCT05123261. Retrospectively registered on 07/04/2021.). The CONSORT 2010 guidelines were used in this study for properly reporting how the randomized trial was conducted.

Wondering Awe and Gratitude as an Indicator of Perceptive Spirituality: Its Potential Relevance for Mind-Body Interventions

“…This dimension of spirituality may be seen as implicit in mind-body interventions such as mindfulness meditation and yoga, but it is in most studies not explicitly addressed. While in recent mindfulnessbased interventions, spirituality is assessed either as an outcome (i.e., spiritual wellbeing) or as a mediator (Hsiung et al, 2023;Mahamid et al, 2023;Oner Cengiz et al, 2023), in yoga studies "spirituality is still a widely neglected area", as stated by Csala et al (2021).…”