Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for HIV Treatment Side Effects: A Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial. 


Author: Duncan LG, Moskowitz JT, Neilands TB, Dilworth SE, Hecht FM, Johnson MO

Affiliation: Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA. 
Conference/Journal: J Pain Symptom Manage.
Date published: 2011 Sep 17
Other:
  Word Count: 233  
    CONTEXT: Advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV offer life-extending benefit; however, the side effects associated with ART use negatively impact quality of life and medication adherence among people living with HIV.



OBJECTIVES:

This study tested the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for reducing ART symptoms and bother/distress related to ART side effects. Secondary aims were to test the impact of MBSR on medication adherence and psychological functioning.



METHODS:

Seventy-six people living with HIV who were actively taking ART and reported distress from ART-related side effects were randomly assigned to an MBSR program or a wait-list control (WLC) standard care condition. We measured side effects, ART adherence, perceived stress, depression, positive and negative affect, and mindfulness at three time points: baseline, three-month follow-up, and six-month follow-up. Side effects and related distress were assessed separately from other symptoms.



RESULTS:

Compared with a WLC, participants in the MBSR condition experienced a reduction in the frequency of symptoms attributable to ARTs at three months post-intervention (mean difference=0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.01, 0.66; t(132)=2.04, P=0.044) and six months post-intervention (mean difference=0.38; 95% CI=0.05, 0.71; t(132)=2.27, P=0.025). MBSR participants also experienced a reduction in distress associated with those symptoms at three months post-intervention (mean difference=0.47; 95% CI=0.003, 0.94; t(132)=1.99, P=0.048) compared with the WLC condition.



CONCLUSION:

MBSR is a promising approach for reducing HIV treatment-related side effects.



Copyright © 2011 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.



PMID: 21925831