Examining Cognitive Mechanisms of Clinical Improvement Following Mindfulness Based Therapy for Depressed Individuals

NCT ID: NCT02457936

Last Updated: 2024-11-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 52 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-04-30
• Study Completion Date: 2016-04-30

Brief Summary

Depression one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Individuals suffering from depression typically exhibit impairments in various mental abilities, such as the ability to effectively direct and control attention and the ability to switch between thinking about different things and concepts (commonly referred to as "cognitive flexibility").

Mindfulness meditation training is a technique which involves focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It has been well documented to improve depressive symptoms and prevent recurrence of depressive episodes, yet little is known about how mindfulness does so and what are the underlying mental mechanisms involved. Here the investigators propose to examine the efficacy of an 8-week mindfulness training program in improving the ability to direct and control attention, as well as in cognitive flexibility.

Individuals diagnosed with recurrent depression will undergo an 8-week mindfulness training program. Participants' depressive symptoms as well as their performance on measures of attention and cognitive flexibility will be examined. Participants will be assigned to mindfulness training or a wait-list control group. Half of the participants will be examined before and after the mindfulness training program and the other half will be tested 8-weeks apart and then begin their training.

Conditions

Depression

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

This group will receive 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

8 weekly meetings in which basic mindfulness and meditation skills are taught, such as breathing meditation, body scan meditation, open awareness meditation, movement meditation, and targeting depression related cognitions and emotions in a mindful manner, as well as awareness exercises, group discussions, and daily home meditation practice routines

Waiting list

This group will be tested twice 8-10 weeks apart and then receive 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

8 weekly meetings in which basic mindfulness and meditation skills are taught, such as breathing meditation, body scan meditation, open awareness meditation, movement meditation, and targeting depression related cognitions and emotions in a mindful manner, as well as awareness exercises, group discussions, and daily home meditation practice routines

Interventions

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

8 weekly meetings in which basic mindfulness and meditation skills are taught, such as breathing meditation, body scan meditation, open awareness meditation, movement meditation, and targeting depression related cognitions and emotions in a mindful manner, as well as awareness exercises, group discussions, and daily home meditation practice routines

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Reporting dysphoria for at least two months prior
• HAM-D score of at least 11
• No history of psychiatric disorders of psychotic features, neurological disorders, or substance abuse in the past 6 months
• Verified age between 18-65 years old
• Had no suicidal attempts during the past six months
• No prior experience with MBCT or other systematic meditation programs

Exclusion Criteria

• History of psychosis, neurological disorder, and substance abuse for the past 6 months
• Suicide attempt in past 6 months
• Prior experience with MBCT or other systematic meditation program

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Massachusetts General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Jonathan Greenberg

Postdoctoral research fellow

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Jonathan Greenberg, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Massachusetts General Hospital

Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

K23AT010653-01A1

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

2014P002481

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id