Comparison of Mindfulness-Wellness Class Versus Brain Health Education in Veterans with mTBI
Abstract
Background: Traumatic brain injury is an unfortunately common occurrence in our Veteran population, affecting up to 25% of recent combat Veterans. This large percentage is in part due to the nature of battle in recent conflicts and the fact that, due to improved battlefield medicine, military personnel are surviving blasts and accidents that they would not have survived in past conflicts. The majority of traumatic brain injuries are considered mild, which is defined as a brief loss or alteration of consciousness. However, the effects of a so-called mild traumatic brain injury can significantly impact Veterans’ daily functioning due to chronic symptoms such as headaches and difficulty with multi-tasking. On top of these problems, many recent Veterans who have suffered mild traumatic brain injuries also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder can also be very disruptive to Veterans’ lives and make it difficult for them to maintain work and family life due to disruptions in sleep and severe anxiety. The combination of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder poses a very challenging obstacle for Veterans who wish to return to being productive members of society. Recently, some new approaches have been explored for the treatment of symptoms related to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder that are non-invasive and low-cost. One of the most well-studied of these is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is an 8-week course that teaches individuals strategies for coping with stress. Specifically, participants are instructed in mindfulness practice in the form of sitting meditation, body awareness, yoga, mindful movement, and informal mindfulness practices of daily life (e.g., eating, communicating, working, coping). A handful of preliminary studies have shown that MBSR is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in brain-injured patients, as well as enhancing performance on cognitive tasks. However, no previous studies have tested whether MBSR is effective for brain-injured Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. At our Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) site, we recently conducted and published a small pilot study of MBSR in Veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. We found that the MBSR training led to improvements in Veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and their performance on cognitive tasks requiring attention and multi-tasking. Study Objectives: Based on our promising pilot study results, we propose to provide MBSR training to a much larger number of Veterans so that we can better evaluate the effectiveness of this training. In addition to testing improvements in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and multi-tasking skills, we will also assess whether MBSR leads to improvements in Veterans’ daily functioning (e.g., ability to work, engage in social interactions, etc.). Also, to ensure that the effects are due to the MBSR training and not simply due to participation in a training group, the current study will compare MBSR to a control condition that will consist of an 8-week course on Brain Health education. Based on previous studies, we predict that Veterans enrolled in the MBSR class will show significantly more improvement in daily functioning, psychological well-being, and cognitive performance, relative to the Brain Health education class. Last, the current study will also test whether MBSR can be delivered via telehealth (e.g., over Zoom) in a manner that is just as effective as attending MBSR training in person. Clinical Impact: The proposed project addresses the Treat Focus Area of the Department of Defense grant by providing critical research that will promote novel avenues for clinical treatment to treat complex psychological and cognitive problems associated with brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder in our Veteran population. S
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 28, 2022
- Source ID
- W81XWH2210820
Entities
People
- Juliana Baldo
Organizations
- East Bay Institute for Research & Education
- United States Army