The Effects of Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial With 3-Month Follow-Up

Austeja Dumarkaite, Inga Truskauskaite-Kuneviciene, Gerhard Andersson, Evaldas Kazlauskas, Austeja Dumarkaite, Inga Truskauskaite-Kuneviciene, Gerhard Andersson, Evaldas Kazlauskas

Abstract

Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions have recently been shown to be a promising option for treating posttraumatic stress. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of an online mindfulness-based intervention on ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptoms at a 3-month follow-up.

Methods: An RCT design with three measurement points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up) was used to investigate the effects of an 8-week online mindfulness intervention. In total, 53 traumatized young adults (M age = 23.21, SD age = 2.81; 84.9% female) participated in the study: 17 in the intervention group and 36 in the waiting list control group.

Results: Intervention group and waiting list control group comparison revealed that the intervention was effective for reducing CPTSD disturbances in self-organization symptoms (d = -0.84 [-1.44; -0.24]), specifically, negative self-concept (d = -0.66 [-1.25; -0.07]) and disturbances in relationships (d = -0.87 [-1.47; -0.27]), at 3-month follow-up. There were no between-group effects for PTSD symptoms from pre-test to follow-up.

Conclusion: This is one of the first RCT studies to report follow-up effects of an online mindfulness-based intervention for ICD-11 PTSD or CPTSD symptoms. Our study yielded that the effects of mindfulness-based internet intervention on CPTSD symptoms tend to retain over time.

Trial registration: This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT number: NCT04333667; https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT04333667). Registered April 3, 2020.

Keywords: RCT; complex posttraumatic stress disorder; effects; follow-up; internet intervention; mindfulness; posttraumatic stress disorder.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2022 Dumarkaite, Truskauskaite-Kuneviciene, Andersson and Kazlauskas.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowchart of the Intervention.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Trajectories of change of intervention outcomes in the IG (n = 17) and WL control group (n = 36). (A) PTSD – posttraumatic stress disorder, (B) DSO – disturbances in self-organization, (C–E) PTSD symptom clusters, (F–H) DSO symptom clusters. * Between-group effect size from T1 to T3 is significant.

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