Virtually-Delivered Emotion Focused Mindfulness Therapy (EFMT) Group vs. Wait-List Control for Late-Life Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

A randomized controlled trial tested whether video-delivered Emotion Focused Mindfulness Therapy (EFMT) could reduce anxiety in adults aged 55 and older. Forty-eight participants were assigned to group EFMT via Zoom or a wait-list control. Recruitment took 32 weeks, with 62.3% of screened individuals enrolling; retention was 80.0% and adherence among the intervention group was 100.0%. At 9 weeks, the EFMT group showed a greater reduction in anxiety scores (−3.47 points) compared to the control group (−1.22 points), a statistically significant difference. The findings suggest that virtually-delivered EFMT is feasible, acceptable, and effective for late-life anxiety.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The worldwide annual prevalence of anxiety in older adults is estimated to be between 6% and 10%. Emotion Focused Mindfulness Therapy (EFMT) is a mindfulness-based group intervention that has been demonstrated to reduce symptoms of anxiety in community dwelling adults. No study has yet assessed EFMT for older adults with late-life anxiety. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of video-delivered group EFMT for older adults living in community settings, a novel and potentially scalable intervention. This was a feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 48 older adults (≥55 years old), recruited through primary care, community organizations and snowball methods. Participants were randomized to group EFMT delivered by Zoom vs. a wait-list control. Data were collected at baseline (T1), 9 weeks following baseline (T2, primary study endpoint) and 17 weeks following baseline (T3). Random allocation was conducted immediately after each group of 12 participants had been enrolled into the trial, with groups beginning on a rolling basis each time a block of 12 participants had been enrolled. The main efficacy outcome examined changes over time to anxiety. Recruitment was successfully completed in 32 weeks. Enrollment was calculated at 62.3% (48 of 77 people screened). Retention (80.0%) and adherence (100.0% for intervention group participants) were excellent. The EFMT group had significant improvements in anxiety at T2 compared to the wait-list control group (-3.47 [4.12] vs.-1.22 [3.25] points, p = 0.05). Virtually-delivered EFMT appears to be a feasible, acceptable, and efficacious group treatment to improve late-life anxiety.