Evaluation of a Mindfulness-Based program for people with Multiple Sclerosis

Brief Name: Mindfulness-Based Program for People with MS Description of Trial: The program is adapted from Dr John Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (Kabat-Zinn, 2013), using meditation audio-guides to supplement the program material. The program consists of five modules, each containing case examples illustrating how mindfulness meditation techniques can be used and applied to people with MS. These fictional case examples are based on the thematic analysis of 19 face-to-face interviews with people with MS by a registered psychologist in an unpublished qualitative study, examining the psychological experiences of people with MS (e.g. depressive symptoms, anxiety, fatigue, pain and low health-related quality of life). Content: The five main topics areas broadly cover: 1) An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation and Simple Awareness, 2) Dealing with Stress, 3) Dealing with Difficult Emotions and Pain 4) Dealing with Thoughts 5) Mindful Communication, Compassion and Relapse Prevention. Duration: Each module is approximately 15-20 minutes in length and will be delivered over the course of eight weeks (one module every 1-2 weeks). Procedures: In addition to watching these online modules, participants will be asked to practice 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation every day, using guided audio tapes. Participants will also be encouraged to complete informal mindfulness practice and will be provided with Mindfulness Logs which they can use to help record the type, frequency and duration of mindfulness practice each week. Adherence will be assessed by asking questions about the type, frequency, and duration of mindfulness meditation practice at the end of each week. Delivery: The program and telephone calls will be delivered individually. Participants will be guided through the online program with 5-8 telephone calls (approx. 1 x 5-10 minutes per week) by a registered psychologist (supervised by a clinical psychologist) to (1) encourage participation (2) normalize challenges to treatment (3) help resolve any technological difficulties. It is hoped that these guided telephone calls will help to improve fidelity and decrease drop-out rates. Location: As the program is online, participants will be able to participate in the trial from any location as long as they have access to a computer device and the Internet.