Mindfulness on Daily Life Coping in People Experiencing Psychosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background/Objective: Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is a recommended treatment for psychoses whose effect is mediated by coping. Mindfulness (MBI) have shown positive effects in psychosis. This study examines the hypothesis that combining CBTp+MBI could improve coping with day-to-day life in psychosis better than CBTp alone in people attending a public community rehabilitation center. Method: Fifty-six outpatients were recruited and randomly allocated either to CBTp or CBTp+MBI. Measures comprised PANSS interview and COPE Inventory. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA and RCI calculation. Results: There were no statistical differences between groups at pre-treatment. Significant statistical differences were found for the interaction Treatment x Time in Mental disengagement (F = 5.65, p = .021, eta(2) = .102), Acceptance (F = 7.69, p = .008, eta(2) = .133), and Suppressing competing activities (F = 4.62, p = .037, eta(2) = .085). Conclusions: MBI promotes specific coping styles in people who experience psychosis that otherwise are not improved with CBTp. Only the MBI group improved acceptance of the presence of the stressor and reduced mental disengagement from the context. The intervention is feasible and effective for public healthcare settings. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study examines the effectiveness of combining Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) with Mindfulness (MBI) in improving coping with day-to-day life in psychosis. The results show that MBI promotes specific coping styles in people with psychosis that are not improved with CBTp alone. The MBI group improved acceptance of stress and reduced mental disengagement from the context.