Pilot mindfulness based intervention for children born with oesophageal atresia and their parents

Background: A mindfulness pilot home intervention was conducted during 6 weeks among 8- to 12-year-old children born with esophageal atresia. Our first aim was to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention. Our second purpose was to assess whether mindfulness practice could effectively promote clinically positive outcomes. The study also aimed to evaluate children’s cognitive emotion regulation strategies as potential mechanisms linked to mindfulness and their evolution during the course of the mindfulness program. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to a waiting list control (WLC) group (n=8) and an experimental group (n=12). Self-assessment measures included Mindfulness Measures, State-Trait Anxiety and Depression Inventory, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Hetero-assessment measures encompassed the modified STAI-C. Findings: The results underlined the program’s feasibility and acceptability. Clinical effects of the mindfulness program were observed. Self-assessment data for children who had practiced mindfulness compared to the WLC group showed increased mindfulness and decreased depression. Reduced anxiety was found in all groups. Positive affect tended to improve from pre-test to post-test for children who had practiced mindfulness compared to the WLC group. Hetero-assessments results showed significant improvement in positive effects and decreases in anxiety and negative affect in the intervention group compared to the WLC group. Cognitive emotion regulation strategies were also affected by the mindfulness program. Rumination scores significantly decreased from pre-test to post-test in the intervention group. Discussion: This preliminary study suggests that regular mindfulness practice represents a promising approach to reduce the burden of this neonatal malformation.