N/A
N=22
Compassion Meditation for Older Adults
Anxiety and Mood Disorders
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03964246 ↗Enrolled (actual)
22
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Jul 2024
Primary outcome: Primary: Enrollment Rate — 25; 0 Participants
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Compassion Meditation (CM) intervention (Behavioral); Healthy Aging Psychoeducation (Other)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 55+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Primary completion
- Apr 2022
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Enrollment Rate |
25; 0 | — |
| PRIMARY Initiation Rate |
22 | — |
| PRIMARY Completion Rate |
13 | — |
| PRIMARY Practice Time at Home |
— | — |
| SECONDARY Change in Social Connection (SCS-R) From Baseline to Post-intervention |
74.1; 74.8 | — |
| SECONDARY Mean (and SD) Change Scores for Each Inflammatory Biomarker (Hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF- ) |
— | — |
| SECONDARY Change in Depression and Anxiety From Baseline to Post-intervention |
17.9; 14.9 | — |
| SECONDARY Satisfaction With Life (SWLS) From Baseline to Post-intervention |
18.0; 21.0 | — |
| SECONDARY Change in Positive Emotions (mDES) From Baseline to Post-intervention |
21.7; 21.0 | — |
Summary
Some older Veterans with psychological distress may under-utilize mental health services due to perceived stigma of symptom-focused interventions. This study was designed to examine the feasibility of a strengths-based compassion training intervention with Veterans ages > 55 years with anxiety or depressive symptoms. Although this study was focused on feasibility if successful, this line of research could open the door to a novel and effective treatment that widens acceptance by older Veterans with psychological distress.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) patient
- current mild-to-moderate anxiety or depressive symptoms as defined by scores between 5 and 14 on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and or Generalized Anxiety Disorders scale (GAD-7).
- stated intention to attend the 10 group sessions at the scheduled times at the VASDHS in addition to the baseline and follow-up study assessment visits, as well as to complete the outside homework assignments
- provides written informed consent for participation
Exclusion Criteria
- no active suicidality/homicidality in the preceding six months
- untreated alcohol or substance use disorders
- changes to psychiatric medications within six months prior to the baseline evaluation
- medical and/or psychiatric instability interfering with current ability to engage in the group sessions and outside homework assignments
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03964246). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.