title: Meditation training for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized clinical trial.
abstract: Studies investigating psychological interventions for the promotion of well-being in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are lacking. The purpose of the current study was to examine the use of an ALS-specific mindfulness-based intervention for improving quality of life in this population.
  
  
  
  A randomized, open-label and controlled clinical trial was conducted on the efficacy of an ALS-specific meditation programme in promoting quality of life. Adults who received a diagnosis of ALS within 18 months were randomly assigned either to usual care or to an 8-week meditation training based on the original mindfulness-based stress reduction programme and tailored for people with ALS. Quality of life, assessed with the ALS-Specific Quality of Life Revised scale, represented the primary outcome, whilst secondary outcomes included anxiety and depression, assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and specific quality of life domains. Participants were assessed at recruitment and after 2, 6 and 12 months. The efficacy of the treatment was assessed on an intention-to-treat basis of a linear mixed model.
  
  
  
  A hundred participants were recruited between November 2012 and December 2014. Over time, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of quality of life (β = 0.24, P = 0.015, d = 0.89). Significant differences between groups over time were also found for anxiety, depression, negative emotions, and interaction with people and the environment.
  
  
  
  An ALS-specific meditation programme is beneficial for the quality of life and psychological well-being of people with ALS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.|Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda Ca' Granda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pagnini
authors.affiliation: NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO) - Fondazione Serena Onlus, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.affiliation: Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda Ca' Granda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tagliaferri
authors.affiliation: E-Campus University, Novedrate, Italy.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Manzoni
authors.affiliation: Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda Ca' Granda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gatto
authors.affiliation: Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda Ca' Granda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fabiani
authors.affiliation: NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO) - Fondazione Serena Onlus, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gragnano
authors.affiliation: NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO) - Fondazione Serena Onlus, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.|IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Volpato
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banfi
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Graziano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.|Psychology Research Laboratory, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Piancavallo, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castelnuovo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa Cura Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.|Psychology Research Laboratory, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Piancavallo, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, INSPE and Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.affiliation: NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO) - Fondazione Serena Onlus, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sansone
authors.affiliation: NEuroMuscular Omnicentre (NEMO) - Fondazione Serena Onlus, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lunetta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; clinical psychology; meditation; mindfulness; motor neuron disease; quality of life