Long-term treatment outcomes of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for fatigue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Results of a randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether the short-term benefits of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on fatigue in IBD patients in remission were maintained over nine months and whether patient characteristics influenced improvement.
Results Summary
The study found that reduced fatigue levels post-MBCT remained stable during follow-up, with 29% of patients reporting clinically relevant improvement. Employment status was associated with improvement, but other secondary outcomes (fatigue interference, depression, anxiety, quality of life) did not change significantly.
Population
Fatigued inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in remission.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Nine months follow-up (intervention duration not specified in abstract)
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | decrease | fatigue | fatigued IBD patients in remission | - | significant decrease | #1 |
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | no change | fatigue | fatigued IBD patients in remission | - | did not change significantly | #2 |
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | decrease | fatigue | fatigued IBD patients in remission | 29% | clinically relevant improvement | #3 |
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | no change | fatigue interference | fatigued IBD patients in remission | - | remained stable | #4 |
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | no change | depression | fatigued IBD patients in remission | - | remained stable | #5 |
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | no change | anxiety | fatigued IBD patients in remission | - | remained stable | #6 |
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) | no change | quality of life | fatigued IBD patients in remission | - | remained stable | #7 |
OBJECTIVES: Fatigue is prevalent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in remission. Previously, we showed that fatigued IBD patients experienced a significant decrease in fatigue after receiving mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). The current study examined to what extent these short-term beneficial effects of MBCT on fatigue were maintained over nine months follow-up, and whether patient characteristics were associated with clinically relevant improvement in fatigue. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial, including an MBCT and waiting-list control condition, was performed in fatigued IBD patients in remission. For this study, we analysed long-term outcomes of 108 patients who received MBCT (either directly or after three months waiting). The primary outcome was fatigue, assessed with the Checklist Individual Strenght-20. Secondary outcomes included fatigue interference, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. RESULTS: The reduced level of fatigue post-treatment did not change significantly during follow-up (F(2,76) = 1.68, p = 0.19). In total, 29% of patients reported clinically relevant improvement from pre-treatment to nine months follow-up. We found few significant differences in baseline characteristics between those reporting clinically relevant improvement and those not, except that patients who improved were significantly more often unemployed (χ2(1, n = 73) = 4.40, p = 0.04). Secondary outcomes, which did not change significantly during MBCT, also remained stable during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that reductions in IBD-related fatigue after receiving MBCT are sustained over nine months follow-up, with around one-third of patients reporting clinically relevant improvement from pre-treatment to follow-up. Employment status might be related to improvements in fatigue. Future research is needed to confirm these long-term outcomes. PREREGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03162575.