Mindfulness Training Has Long-term Therapeutic Benefits in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to have substantial therapeutic effects on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptom severity, health-related quality of life, and psychological symptoms at 3 months following an 8-week group MT intervention. This study reports a secondary analysis to examine the long-term trajectory of change in these IBS symptoms.

This study analyzed 6- and 12-month follow-up data collected in a randomized controlled pilot study involving 75 adult women meeting Rome II criteria for IBS assigned to 8 weekly 2-hour sessions plus one half-day intensive of either a group Mindfulness Training (MT) or a validated IBS support group (SG). Outcome measures included the IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS), the IBS-Quality of Life (IBS-QOL) and Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI) questionnaires, and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 psychological distress measure. Measures were mailed to all participants who attended at least one treatment session. Analysis included mixed effects models comparing the trajectory of change over time between groups.

At six months follow-up, MT patients had significantly lower mean IBS-SSS scores than SG patients (-M 123.79 points vs. -51.82 points, respectively, p=0.004). At 12-month follow-up, effects were attenuated, with IBS-SSS scores of -88.93 (p=0.001) for MT and -353.63 (p=0.158) for SG participants, with a clinically important between-group difference of 61 points (p=0.). VSI scores significantly improved at both 6- and 12-month follow-up compared to baseline, for the MT group only. Anxiety and depression significantly improved at six months, in the MT group only.

Beneficial effects of an 8-week MT program tailored for IBS persist for up to 12 months after the training.