An Exploration of How Older People Experience Mindfulness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Exploration of How Older People Experience Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
IRAS ID
220879
Contact name
Judith (Judi) Clare Sharifi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 7 days
Research summary
This study will explore how older patients experience an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course. This course is offered routinely in a local NHS community base to adults (18 and older) by the researcher and her colleague, both of whom are psychologists and mindfulness teachers. NICE guidelines recommend MBCT for the prevention of relapse into depression (NICE, 2004) and there is an increasing evidence base for mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for other conditions (Segal et al, 2013). There is a plethora of evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) for a range of conditions for the adult population (Didonna, 2009) but very few studies have been conducted specifically on older people. One of the first to address this issue was Smith (2006) who suggested that mindfulness could be particularly suitable for helping older people to adjust to the various life changes that go with ageing and that can trigger depression and anxiety (illness, physical mobility and frailty, bereavement, loss of status, loss of role and reduced cognitive functioning). As participants will be invited to attend focus groups and keep diaries to record their thoughts, feelings and understanding of mindfulness practices, the researcher hopes to glean themes that produce a deeper grasp of what it means, as an older person, to take part in mindfulness training. It is hoped, therefore, that this study will discover new knowledge that can help to inform service provision for older people. The study will last for the duration of the 8-week MBCT course and until the post-MBCT focus group has taken place (approximately two weeks after Week 8).
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0099
Date of REC Opinion
3 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion