The influence of mindfulness-based stress reduction and walking on the psychological well-being of female informal caregivers: A pilot study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/ajrt.2010.0002Keywords:
informal caregivers, psychological well-being, mindfulness-based stress reduction, walkingAbstract
Informal caregivers, who provide unpaid care for family or friends, often experience numerous threats to their psychological well-being as a result of providing care. This study compared a traditional physical activity (mall walking, MW) to an alternative therapeutic intervention (mindfulness-based stress reduction, MBSR) to examine the impact on the psychological well-being of informal caregivers. While both groups experienced a decrease in psychological well-being, caregivers in the MBSR group experienced fewer exacerbations in depressive symptoms and subjective burden when compared with caregivers in the MW group. It is possible that mindfulness techniques may provide some protection against the exacerbation of negative effects on caregivers’ psychological wellbeing. The use of MBSR as a therapeutic intervention in therapeutic recreation practice may be warranted, but requires further study.References
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