title: The effectiveness of self-help mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a student sample: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) involves approximately twenty hours of therapist contact time and is not universally available. MBCT self-help (MBCT-SH) may widen access but little is known about its effectiveness. This paper presents a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of MBCT-SH for students. Eighty students were randomly assigned to an eight-week MBCT-SH condition or a wait-list control. ANOVAs showed significant group by time interactions in favour of MBCT-SH on measures of depression, anxiety, stress, satisfaction with life, mindfulness and self-compassion. Post-intervention between-group effect sizes ranged from Cohen's d = 0.22 to 1.07. Engagement with MBCT-SH was high: participants engaged in mindfulness practice a median of two to three times a week and 85% read at least half the intervention book. Only 5% of participants dropped out. This is the first published RCT of MBCT-SH and benefits were found relative to a control group. MBCT-SH has the potential to be a low-cost, readily available and highly acceptable intervention. Future research should include an active control condition and explore whether findings extend to clinical populations.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK. Electronic address: b.levertaylor@surrey.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Billie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lever Taylor
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK; Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Electronic address: c.y.strauss@sussex.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK. Electronic address: kate.cavanagh@sussex.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cavanagh
authors.affiliation: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, UK; Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK. Electronic address: fergal.jones@canterbury.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Fergal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064866:Mindfulness; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012648:Self Care; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013334:Students
keywords: Bibliotherapy; MBCT; Mindfulness; Self-help; Students