The efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in cultivating mindfulness-skills and self-compassion and the association with rumination in people with history of recurrent depression: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an evidence based psychosocial relapse-prevention program which is effective in reducing depression relapse. There is growing evidence that MBCT results in increased mindfulness-skills and self-compassion, which are believed to be key factors for change in depressogenic cognitive patterns such as rumination. The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of MBCT in cultivating mindfulness-skills and self-compassion, in a sample of people with recurrent depression. An additional aim was to examine whether changes in self-compassion and mindfulness-skills during MBCT would be associated with reduced depressive brooding and reflective pondering and to examine whether MBCT reduces current anxiety and depression symptoms. Method: Participants were people with a history of at least three major depressive episodes (N = 69). Stratified randomization was used to randomly allocate participants to either an eight-week MBCT treatment (MBCT group; n = 33) or waitlist (Waitlist group; n = 36) that subsequently received the same treatment. Results: MBCT resulted in reduction of symptoms of anxiety and depression with no changes being observed in the Waitlist group. MBCT, compared to waitlist, resulted in significant increases in mindfulness-skills and increases in self-compassion were marginally significant. Changes in mindfulness and self-compassion were associated with reductions in depressive brooding during the MBCT treatment in the total sample. Conclusions: MBCT leads to reductions in anxiety and depression in remitted people with recurrent depression. It cultivates mindfulness-skills and possibly self-compassion, that may reduce the risk of depression recurrence by influencing maladaptive ruminative processing tendencies. The results indicate that MBCT works through its hypothesised mechanism of change.

Author dc:creator

• Styrkár Hallsson 1992-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskóli Íslands

• Hagnýt sálfræði
• Núvitund
• Þunglyndi

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1946/35802

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/35802