Mindfulness Mediation Intervention in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Condition: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
MeSH terms: Lung Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and potential impact of an eight week
      program of meditation on expiratory time, anxiety and dyspnea in people with COPD.
    

Detailed description: 
      Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a progressive multi-dimensional disease with a
      complex network of somatic and affective components. Anxiety is a common experience for
      persons with COPD both as a reaction to dyspnea (48) and as a separate co-morbid condition
      (10, 26). The presence of anxiety magnifies COPD symptoms and further impairs physical
      functioning (53). Both anxiety and COPD alter breathing patterns similarly causing irregular
      rapid shallow breathing at rest, which is inefficient and cannot adequately respond to
      increases in ventilatory demands from physical or emotional activity (121). Both COPD and
      anxiety are also associated with changes in neurological functioning. Whereas anxiety tends
      to be associated with increased amygdala activity (54), COPD is associated with a decrease in
      frontal cortex functioning (25, 28, 122). Persons with COPD who experience anxiety are less
      able to correctly process the level of physical and emotional demand for any given situation
      and their ability to meet that demand (46, 123). Pulmonary rehabilitation addresses both the
      physical and emotional symptoms of COPD, however gains in function are quickly lost over time
      (4). Evidence suggests that mindfulness based meditation can alter neural pathways to
      facilitate processing of emotions and increase quality of life for persons with COPD. The
      overall objective of this study is to assess the ability of persons with COPD to participate
      in a mindfulness meditation intervention and to examine the impact of mindfulness meditation
      on their anxiety levels and global sense of coherence. A modified version of Antonovsky's
      sense of coherence model will be used as the framework for this study. We will address the
      specific aims: 1) to determine the effects of mindfulness meditation on breathing patterns;
      2) To determine the effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety levels; 3) To determine
      self-reported adherence rates following an eight-week small group instructional course on
      mindfulness meditation, and 4) To determine the effects of mindfulness meditation on global
      sense of coherence levels in persons with COPD. The National Center for Complementary and
      Alternative Medicine identifies meditation as a form of CAM that focuses on the interaction
      among the brain, body, mind and behavior that is already practiced by 8% of persons who
      participate in CAM therapy. Meditation is rated a special priority research area by NCCAM.
    

Intervention name(s): Mindfulness meditation
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Group class on mindfulness meditation. One hour weekly class led by nurse expert on meditation that includes mindfulness skills, body awareness skills and emotional awareness skills. Homework is assigned.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: meditation; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Mindfulness; Anxiety; Breathing Patterns