Mindfulness Training Modifies Cognitive, Affective, and Physiological Mechanisms Implicated in Alcohol Dependence: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Mindfulness Training Modifies Cognitive, Affective, and Physiological Mechanisms Implicated in Alcohol Dependence: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Mindfulness training may disrupt the risk chain of stress-precipitated alcohol relapse. In 2008, 53 alcohol-dependent adults (mean age = 40.3) recruited from a therapeutic community located in the urban southeastern U.S. were randomized to mindfulness training or a support group. Most participants w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychoactive drugs Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 177 - 192
Main Authors: Garland, Eric L., Gaylord, Susan A., Boettiger, Charlotte A., Howard, Matthew O.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01-06-2010
Haight Ashbury Publications
Subjects:
Adult
alcohol dependence
Alcohol use
Alcoholism - complications
Alcoholism - rehabilitation
Attention - physiology
attentional bias
Behavior
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Cognition Disorders - rehabilitation
Cues
Double-Blind Method
Female
heart-rate variability
Humans
Male
Meditation - methods
Middle Aged
mindfulness
Mood Disorders - etiology
Mood Disorders - rehabilitation
Neuropsychological Tests
Patient Compliance
Pilot Projects
Psychometrics
Psychophysiologic Disorders - etiology
Psychophysiologic Disorders - rehabilitation
Reaction Time - physiology
Self Concept
Stress
thought suppression
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Mindfulness training may disrupt the risk chain of stress-precipitated alcohol relapse. In 2008, 53 alcohol-dependent adults (mean age = 40.3) recruited from a therapeutic community located in the urban southeastern U.S. were randomized to mindfulness training or a support group. Most participants were male (79.2%). African American (60.4%), and earned less than $20,000 annually (52.8%). Self-report measures, psychophysiological cue-reactivity, and alcohol attentional bias were analyzed via repeated measures ANOVA. Thirty-seven participants completed the interventions. Mindfulness training significantly reduced stress and thought suppression, increased physiological recovery from alcohol cues, and modulated alcohol attentional bias. Hence, mindfulness training appears to target key mechanisms implicated in alcohol dependence, and therefore may hold promise as an alternative treatment for stress-precipitated relapse among vulnerable members of society.
Bibliography:ELG was supported by Grant Number T32AT003378 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a Francisco Varela Research Grant from the Mind & Life Institute, Boulder, CO, and an Armfield-Reeves Innovation Grant from the UNC School of Social Work, Chapel Hill, NC.
CAB was supported by Award Number KL2RR025746 from the National Center for Research Resources. The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors would also like to acknowledge the helpful contribution of Vicki West Channon, Ph.D., and Laura Andrews, B.A. for their assistance with developing the AB dot probe task, as well as Stuart Scott, B.A. and Noah Martinson, M.S.W. for their data collection efforts. In addition, we would like to acknowledge Brant Nix, B.M.E.T. of the UNC School of Nursing Biobehavioral Laboratory for his technical assistance with psychophysiological data collection procedures. We would also like to acknowledge Benjamin Burnette for his logistical support of the project.
ISSN:0279-1072
2159-9777
DOI:10.1080/02791072.2010.10400690