The Impact of Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Psychophysical Health

Background: Hemodialysis is considered as an effective therapy to remove harmful wastes from the body and to improve the quality of life in patients suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, patients who receive hemodialysis perceive various stressors that are harmful to their physical and psychological well-being, particularly the immune system. Therefore, it is necessary to implement effective and practical therapeutic strategies to enhance the quality of life in this population. Mindfulness-based intervention is an effective mind-body connection program that is inadequately used in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of mindfulness-based intervention on physical and psychological symptoms (e.g., stress, anxiety, and depression) and pro-inflammatory biomarker levels (e.g., TNF, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein) in patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis. Method: Repeated measures, randomized, control experimental design was used. A convenience non-probability sampling technique to select the sample from the hemodialysis unit in the Princess Haya Bint AL_Hussine Hospital. The participants who were eligible and agreed to participate were randomly distributed into experimental (n = 31) and control (n = 30) groups. During their hemodialysis sessions, the experimental group\' participants practiced 30-minute mindfulness-based intervention; three times a week for eight weeks). The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), and serum blood levels (for tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein) were used to measure the dependent variables for both groups at baseline, after five weeks of the intervention, and at its end (eight weeks).