title: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: benefits in reducing depression following a traumatic brain injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current therapies for traumatic brain injury (TBI) include pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and cognitive rehabilitation. Unfortunately, psychological and emotional issues regularly go untreated in individuals with TBI even after they receive treatment for physical, behavioral, and cognitive issues. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may offer new rehabilitation opportunities for individuals with TBI.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the efficacy of MBCT in the treatment of clinically diagnosed depression in a TBI population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research team measured depression, pain frequency and intensity, energy levels, health status, and function preintervention and postintervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research team conducted the study at the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research team recruited 23 participants from two sources: (1) the brain injury program at the hospital and (2) the local head-injury association. Twenty participants completed the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The intervention was 8 weeks in length, with a 90-minute MBCT session once a week. The research team based the specific content of the study's intervention on a combination of Kabat-Zinn's manualized mindfulness-based stress reduction program and Segal and colleague's manual for MBCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research team determined statistical significance using paired t-tests for continuous outcomes and the McNemar chi-square test for dichotomous categorical outcomes. They also calculated effect sizes for all depression measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postintervention, the study found that MBCT significantly reduced (P < .050) depression symptoms on all scales compared to baseline. The study demonstrated medium to large effect sizes for each depression measure. Participants indicated reduced pain intensity (P = .033) and increased energy levels (P = .004). No significant changes occurred in anxiety symptoms, pain frequency, and level of functioning postintervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MBCT was efficacious in reducing depression in the TBI population, providing ample rationale for further research with more robust designs. This study marks an important step toward the development and provision of MBCT on a wider scale to support the rehabilitation efforts of people who have depression symptoms following TBI.
authors.affiliation: St. Joseph's Care Group, Thunder Bay, Ontario; Centre for Research on Safe Driving at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay; Northern Ontatio School of Medicine, Lakehead University.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bédard
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Felteau
authors.forename: Shawn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Sacha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents