Clin Transplant. 2016 Nov;30(11):1466-1472. doi: 10.1111/ctr.12841. Epub 2016 Oct 14.

A resilience intervention involving mindfulness training for transplant patients and their caregivers.

Stonnington CM1, Darby B2, Santucci A2, Mulligan P3, Pathuis P4, Cuc A5, Hentz JG6, Zhang N6, Mulligan D7, Sood A8.

• 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA. stonnington.cynthia@mayo.edu.
• 2Private Practice, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
• 3Consultant, New Haven, CT, USA.
• 4Department of Social Work, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
• 5Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
• 6Department of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
• 7Section of Transplantation and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital Transplantation Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
• 8Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Abstract

Solid organ and stem cell transplant patients and their caregivers report a substantial level of distress.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been shown to alleviate distress associated with transplant, but there is limited experience in this population with other mindfulness-based interventions, or with combined transplant patient and caregiver interventions.

We evaluated a novel, 6-week mindfulness-based resilience training (MBRT) class for transplant patients and their caregivers that incorporates mindfulness practice, yoga, and neuroscience of stress and resilience.

Thirty-one heart, liver, kidney/pancreas, and stem cell transplant patients and 18 caregivers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona participated.

Measures of stress, resilience, depression, anxiety, health-related quality of life, positive and negative affect, and sleep were completed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months postintervention. At 6 weeks and 3 months, patients demonstrated significant (P<.005) improvements from baseline in measures of perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and negative affect.

Quality-of-life mental component (P=.006) and positive affect (P=.02) also improved at follow-up. Most participants adhered to the program, were satisfied with class length and frequency, and reported improved well-being as a result of the class. MBRT holds promise as an intervention to enhance resilience and manage stress for transplant patients and their caregivers.

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

KEYWORDS:

caregivers; mindfulness; resilience; stress; transplant recipients

PMID:

27618687