The effect of 20-minute mindful breathing exercise on psychological well-being in epilepsy: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

A 20-minute guided mindful breathing exercise, practiced twice a week for two weeks, improved depression symptoms and quality of life in people with epilepsy. In a pilot randomized controlled trial with 20 participants, those who performed the exercise showed significantly greater improvement in depression scores at two weeks compared to a waitlist control group, though this difference was no longer significant at four weeks. Anxiety improvements were not statistically significant. Quality of life scores were significantly better in the intervention group at both two and four weeks, and mindfulness scores improved at four weeks. The exercise had an immediate effect on depression and quality of life.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Depression and anxiety are prevalent in epilepsy patients, but psychiatric or psychological services may not be accessible to all patients. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the 20-minute mindful breathing on the psychological well-being of PWE using an instructional video. This was a pilot, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial. The intervention group received a guided video and was briefed to perform the exercise twice a week for two weeks while the waitlist control group only received the video upon completion of the study. The subjects were assessed at three-time points (T0: Baseline, T1: 2 weeks after the intervention, T2: 4 weeks after intervention), using the Neurological Disorders Depression Index (NDDI-E), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) and Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Twenty patients were recruited, with 10 in the intervention and waitlist-control groups. Compared with the waitlist-control group, participants in the intervention group showed significant improvement in NDDI-E at T1 (p = 0.022) but not at T2 (p = 0.056) and greater improvement in GAD-7 at T1 and T2 but not statistically significant. The QOLIE-31 overall score in the intervention group has significantly improved at T1 (p = 0.036) and T2 (p = 0.031) compared to the waitlist-control group. For MAAS, the intervention group also had an increased score at T2 (p = 0.025). The 20-minute mindfulness breathing exercise has an immediate effect in improving depression and quality of life among people with epilepsy.