Feasibility and efficacy of an acceptance and mindfulness-based group intervention for young people with early psychosis (Feel-Good group)

Von Hardenberg, Laura; Leopold, Karolina; Stenzel, Nikola; Kallenbach, Michèle; Aliakbari, Navid; Bechdolf, Andreas; Mehl, Stephanie (2022). Feasibility and efficacy of an acceptance and mindfulness-based group intervention for young people with early psychosis (Feel-Good group). Frontiers in psychiatry, 13 Frontiers 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.943488

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Background: Over the last decade, researchers have sought for alternative
interventions that have better treatment effects than Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT) when treating psychotic symptoms. Mindfulness-based
interventions have been a proposed alternative to CBT, yet research regarding
its feasibility, acceptance and effectiveness is lacking when treating individuals
with early psychosis in inpatient settings.
Objective: Before conducting a large-scale randomized-controlled trial
(RCT), this pilot study evaluated the feasibility and the potential efficacy
of a mindfulness-based inpatient group intervention that targets emotion
regulation in patients with early psychosis, and thus indirectly improving
psychotic symptoms.
Methods: A pre–post study was performed. Thirty-six patients with early
psychosis treated at the specialized inpatient treatment “Frühinterventionsund
Therapiezentrum; FRITZ” (early intervention and therapy center) received
eight group therapy sessions. Assessments were performed at baseline, after
8 weeks post treatment and at follow-up after 16 weeks.
Results: Rates of patients who participated in the study suggests that a
mindfulness-based group therapy is highly accepted and feasible for patients
with early psychosis being treated in an inpatient ward. Friedman analyses
revealed significant changes in the primary outcomes of emotional goal
attainment (Goal 1: W = 0.79; Goal 2: W = 0.71) and psychotic symptoms (PANSS-T: W = 0.74). Significant, albeit small, effect sizes were found in
patients’ self-perception of emotion regulation skills (ERSQ: W = 0.23).
Discussion: We found favorable findings regarding the feasibility and
acceptance of the Feel-Good mindfulness-based intervention. Results of the
study provide a basis for an estimation of an adequate sample size for a
fully powered RCT that needs to be conducted to test whether Feel-Good
is effective in the inpatient treatment of psychotic symptoms for individuals
with early psychosis.

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