Online Mindfulness with Care Partnerships Experiencing Anxiety and Depression Symptoms after Stroke: Mixed Methods Case Study Research.
Ben Parkinson, Maggie Lawrence, Evelyn McElhinney and 1 others
PMID 36352549WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke survivors often completed the online mindfulness course and some reported less anxiety or depression, but care partners rarely finished it and results varied.
This small case study cannot show the course worked.
Key findings
01Most stroke survivors (80%) completed all modules, while none of the care partners did and some care partners (40%) completed no modules.
02Anxiety symptoms improved for four stroke survivors (80%) and three care partners (60%), while depression symptoms improved for three stroke survivors (60%) and one care partner (20%); one stroke survivor and one care partner had increased anxiety, and one stroke survivor had worsened depression.
03Qualitative accounts described stroke survivors using mindfulness as a coping strategy, while care partners often had a supportive rather than participant role.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only five stroke care partnerships (10 participants) were studied, and participants self-selected, so motivation may differ from routine patients. The design was a quasi-experimental pre/post within-subject case study, so changes cannot be attributed to the course alone. Automated secondary measures had a large amount of missing data. No formal cognitive assessment was done, so cognitive impairment may have affected engagement. No formal monitoring of home practice was done. Possible confounders included one stroke survivor starting anti-depressant medication and one care partner starting other non-mindfulness activities that seemed to improve mood. The online course was not designed for people affected by stroke.
Declared interests
No conflicts-of-interest declaration appears in the paper. The study is described as an unfunded PhD project, and Be Mindful was provided free of charge.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that online mindfulness treats post-stroke anxiety or depression in care partnerships. This was a small, self-selected case study, and some participants worsened or did not engage.