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Effectiveness and Usability of a Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Families Living with Mental Illness

Stjernswärd, Sigrid LU orcid and Hansson, Lars LU (2017) In Mindfulness 8(3). p.751-764
Abstract

Families living with mental illness express needs of support and experiences of burden that may affect their own health detrimentally and hence also their ability to support the patient. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial health effects in both clinical and healthy populations. The aim of the current study was to explore the effectiveness and usability of a web-based mindfulness program for families living with mental illness, which was first tested in a feasibility study. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial with an experiment group and a wait-list control group with assessments on primary and secondary outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Significant positive... (More)

Families living with mental illness express needs of support and experiences of burden that may affect their own health detrimentally and hence also their ability to support the patient. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial health effects in both clinical and healthy populations. The aim of the current study was to explore the effectiveness and usability of a web-based mindfulness program for families living with mental illness, which was first tested in a feasibility study. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial with an experiment group and a wait-list control group with assessments on primary and secondary outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Significant positive improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion, and significant decreases in perceived stress and in certain dimensions of caregiver burden were found, with good program usability. Easily accessible mindfulness-based interventions may be useful in addressing caregivers’ needs of support and in preventing further ill health in caregivers. Further studies are needed, among others, to further customize interventions and to investigate the cost-effectiveness of such programs.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Burden, Caregivers, Mindfulness, Self-compassion, Stress, Usability
in
Mindfulness
volume
8
issue
3
pages
14 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85018266463
  • pmid:28515801
  • wos:000400330000020
ISSN
1868-8527
DOI
10.1007/s12671-016-0653-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e1aa6bfa-bba7-4788-9405-e2241a6689bf
date added to LUP
2017-05-17 13:16:24
date last changed
2024-04-14 10:58:18
@article{e1aa6bfa-bba7-4788-9405-e2241a6689bf,
  abstract     = {{<p>Families living with mental illness express needs of support and experiences of burden that may affect their own health detrimentally and hence also their ability to support the patient. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial health effects in both clinical and healthy populations. The aim of the current study was to explore the effectiveness and usability of a web-based mindfulness program for families living with mental illness, which was first tested in a feasibility study. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial with an experiment group and a wait-list control group with assessments on primary and secondary outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Significant positive improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion, and significant decreases in perceived stress and in certain dimensions of caregiver burden were found, with good program usability. Easily accessible mindfulness-based interventions may be useful in addressing caregivers’ needs of support and in preventing further ill health in caregivers. Further studies are needed, among others, to further customize interventions and to investigate the cost-effectiveness of such programs.</p>}},
  author       = {{Stjernswärd, Sigrid and Hansson, Lars}},
  issn         = {{1868-8527}},
  keywords     = {{Burden; Caregivers; Mindfulness; Self-compassion; Stress; Usability}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{751--764}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Mindfulness}},
  title        = {{Effectiveness and Usability of a Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Families Living with Mental Illness}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0653-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s12671-016-0653-2}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}