Adolescent patients with demyelinating disease and autoimmune encephalitis report experiencing fatigue and mood challenges. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been shown to improve fatigue, depression, and quality of life in adults with autoimmune diseases. As such, a group of researchers set out to examine the effectiveness of MBIs, particularly the Learning to BREATHE strategy, to address these challenges in a adolescent population with neuroimmune disease.

The study included five people aged 12 to 22 years old who were diagnosed with demyelinating disease or autoimmune encephalitis. The group participated in a 6-week telehealth support group from November-December 2023. The participants also attended 1-hour Learning to BREATHE sessions once a week where they competed a short mindfulness lesson followed by a group discussion. They were also given simple mindfulness exercises as homework.

The results showed that the postintervention Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores for anxiety decreased for the participants compared to the average preintervention scores. Although the fatigue and depression scores also decreased, both were still higher than the preintervention scores. For the Mindfulness Exam results, all five facets (observing, describing, non-judging of inner experience, non-reactivity to inner experience, and acting with awareness) increased for the participants post intervention. In addition, their scores for the Affective Self-Regulator Efficacy scale also increased. The authors note that 2 participants were excluded from the Mindfulness Exam and Affective Self-Regulatory Scale analysis, and 1 participant was excluded from the PROMIS analysis due to missing assessments.

Overall, the study highlighted the benefits of MBIs as the study’s participants showed improvement in fatigue, anxiety, and depression scores. They also demonstrated progress in the five facets of mindfulness.

Reference

Stein E, Har C, Suslovic W, et al. Learning to breathe: a mindfulness-based intervention to improve fatigue, mood, and mindfulness in adolescents with neuroimmune disease. Presented at: CMSC 2024; May 29-June 1, 2024;  Nashville, TN; Abstract CAM02.