Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Intervention on the Disease Activity and Quality of Life of Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Background:

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease that because of its unknown and recurring nature can reduce the quality of life of the affected patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention on disease activity and quality of life in patients with UC.

Materials and Methods:

This was a clinical trial with control group. In this study, 32 patients with UC were selected through voluntary sampling. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of 120 minutes of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. For evaluating the efficacy of the treatment, the Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index (LCAI) and Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Questionnaire (CUCQ) were used.

Results:

The analysis of the results showed that difference between the two groups in terms of decreasing the severity of disease activity and increasing the quality of life was not statistically significant (p˃0.05), but increased quality of life in the experimental group was significant in terms of the three stages of evaluation (p ˂ 0.05).

Conclusion:

It can be stated that mindfulness-based interventions may be beneficial in improving physical symptoms and quality of life in patients with UC, which requires future studies, taking into account the limitations of this study.