Parkinson's Disease
Conditions
Keywords
PD, Parkinson's
Brief summary
Psychological difficulties, especially depression and anxiety are the most prevalent non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD). Pharmacological treatments are not as effective in PD. Mindfulness courses have received increased popularity and recognition as an effective way to manage emotional states, and there is ever growing findings of the effectiveness of mindfulness courses for people with long-term medical conditions. Two small pilot studies have indicated that mindfulness courses can be helpful for people with PD in improving symptoms of depression, language functioning and motor symptoms. The investigators propose to deliver these courses remotely, through Skype video conferences, to make it more accessible for people with mobility limitations and people who live in rural areas.
Detailed description
This study will employ a mixed-methods design, with an experimental randomised control trial followed by a qualitative design. Sixty participants will be randomly assigned to the 8-week mindfulness course (n=30) or a wait-list control group (n=30). Block randomisation will be used and the randomisation scheme will be generated using the randomisation.com website. One-hour sessions will be delivered to groups of 5 people using Skype video-conferencing. As this is a pilot study analyses will largely be descriptive. Further, inferential analyses using mixed modelling will be conducted by intention-to-treat. At the end of the intervention, the investigators will interview the participants of the mindfulness group about their experiences of the course.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindfulness-based intervention (MBI)
MBI consists of 8 sessions and will cover becoming aware of emotions, thoughts and physical sensations, decentering and acceptance. Recordings of the body scan, a sitting meditation and a mindful movement meditation will be provided for daily home practice. Special care will be taken to address safety in the context of PD, and to adapt meditations to the physical limitations of PD.
Sponsors
City, University of London
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* be diagnosed with PD according to PD Brain Bank criteria by a neurologist or geriatrician * have a computer and internet access at home, since the course will be delivered via Skype * be able to communicate in English fluently * be stabilised on mood altering medication and/or Parkinson's medication for a month
Exclusion criteria
* have severe cognitive impairment that would make participation in the mindfulness sessions and home practice of mindful meditation problematic or distressing. This will be assessed using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified (TICS-M, Brandt et al., 1993). * have severe psychiatric conditions (e.g. psychosis, drug/ alcohol addiction) that can potentially risk failure in the treatment or limit participation in the course * have severe hearing impairment * are currently participating in other psychological therapies * have prior formal training in mindfulness methods or current meditation practice
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at 4, 8 and 20 weeks | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20). | HADS also assessed at Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) time points. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Parkinson's Disease Activities of Daily Living Scale (PADLS) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| EuroQol Five-Dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) | Baseline, Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) | Baseline, Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) | Baseline, Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| ICEpop CAPability measure for Adults (ICECAP-A) | Baseline, Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Experiences Questionnaire (EQ) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Acceptance Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) | Baseline, Mid-intervention (week 4), Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
| Subjective Well-Being questionnaire (SWB) | Baseline, Post-intervention (week 8) and Follow-up (week 20) |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed