Experiences of mindfulness for physical health and asthma patients: a qualitative approach

Abstract

The initial part of this thesis comprises of a thematic synthesis of qualitative research followed by a qualitative study. The thematic synthesis aimed to gain an understanding of how participants with long term health conditions and physical health difficulties, experience mindfulness interventions. Thomas and Harden’s (2008) three step thematic synthesis method was utilised, in order to synthesise the qualitative findings of 20 qualitative studies. This process revealed five key themes: 1) Perceived barriers to participation and practice: 2) Positive consequences and benefits of participation: 3) Group attributes: 4) Negative experience and 5) Home practice and application to life. Mindfulness based interventions are acceptable for individuals with long term and physical health conditions. Individuals can experience both positive and negative experiences of mindfulness interventions. The group aspects of these interventions are valued by participants for their support and social aspect; however some patients can experience a negative effect, which requires further exploration.

The needs of patients with respiratory conditions and dual mental health difficulties are not adequately catered for. The literature investigating mindfulness and respiratory conditions, especially asthma, is limited. There is only one study to date, which has looked at the effectiveness of mindfulness compared to treatment as usual in a randomised control trial for asthma, which has shown promising results. The present study aimed to explore poorly controlled asthma patients’ experience of a brief mindfulness group. A qualitative approach was taken to elicit the views of adults with poorly controlled asthma from a difficult asthma clinic, who attended a four week mindfulness course. A focus group and nine semi structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The study found four overarching themes including: Wellbeing, Challenges, Acceptability and Integration. These results imply that despite the challenges, a mindfulness based intervention is acceptable for poorly controlled asthmatics. Furthermore, it had a positive impact on wellbeing and patients were able to integrate skills alongside existing treatment. Further exploration of tailored mindfulness based interventions for asthmatics would be beneficial. In particular, exploring both subjective experiences and impact on health related outcomes, as well as psychological barriers to attendance and practice.

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ORCID for Ben Ainsworth: orcid.org/0000-0002-5098-1092

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