title: The effects of amount of home meditation practice in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy on hazard of relapse to depression in the Staying Well after Depression Trial.
abstract: Few empirical studies have explored the associations between formal and informal mindfulness home practice and outcome in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). In this study ninety-nine participants randomised to MBCT in a multi-centre randomised controlled trial completed self-reported ratings of home practice over 7 treatment weeks. Recurrence of Major Depression was assessed immediately after treatment, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12-months post-treatment. Results identified a significant association between mean daily duration of formal home practice and outcome and additionally indicated that participants who reported that they engaged in formal home practice on at least 3 days a week during the treatment phase were almost half as likely to relapse as those who reported fewer days of formal practice. These associations were independent of the potentially confounding variable of participant-rated treatment plausibility. The current study identified no significant association between informal home practice and outcome, although this may relate to the inherent difficulties in quantifying informal home mindfulness practice. These findings have important implications for clinicians discussing mindfulness-based interventions with their participants, in particular in relation to MBCT, where the amount of participant engagement in home practice appears to have a significant positive impact on outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK. Electronic address: catherine.crane@psych.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University, Dean St Building, Bangor, LL57 2PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University, Dean St Building, Bangor, LL57 2PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Catrin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eames
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Melanie J V
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fennell
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University, Dean St Building, Bangor, LL57 2PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silverton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: J Mark G
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barnhofer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D012008:Recurrence; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Home practice; Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; Recurrence