Objectives Depression and alcohol use disorder (AUD) commonly co-occur, but effective treatments are lacking for addressing these co-occurring symptoms. This study examined whether mindfulness training may reduce AUD and depressive symptoms during and after outpatient psychotherapy for AUD. Method Data were analyzed from 148 participants who were randomized to receive mindfulness-based or cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention for AUD. Participants seeking treatment for AUD completed five assessments (pre-treatment, mid-treatment, end-treatment, 3 months post-treatment, and 6 months post-treatment) of alcohol-related problems (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT]), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI]), and mindfulness (the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ] full scale and subscales for awareness, describing, nonjudging, nonreactivity, and observing). Preliminary analyses tested whether the cross-sectional correlation between the AUDIT and BDI was attributable to mindfulness. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models tested whether mindfulness on one occasion affected subsequent AUDIT and BDI scores. Results The full scale FFMQ explained 31% of the cross-sectional correlation between AUDIT and BDI (r = 0.13[SE = 0.03], p < 0.001). Higher mid-treatment mindfulness was associated with lower post-treatment AUDIT scores (full scale FFMQ: b = − 5.15 [SE = 1.53], p < 0.01), including effects for the facets of awareness (b = − 1.82 [SE = 0.75], p < 0.05) and nonjudging (b = − 1.48 [SE = 0.72], p < 0.05). There were no significant effects of FFMQ on decreased BDI scores in this sample of individuals receiving outpatient AUD psychotherapy. Conclusions The current findings suggest that mindfulness helps reduce alcohol-related problems, but these effects did not extend to depressive symptoms. This suggests a dissociation between the role of mindfulness on alcohol use relative to depression. Preregistration This clinical trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02994043">https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02994043</a>).

Mindfulness, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Depressive Symptoms After Outpatient Alcohol Treatment

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发表日期：

2025年5月28日

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Jarrod M. Ellingson,
Sasha Zabelski,
Carillon J. Skrzynski,
Joshua L. Gowin,
Angela D. Bryan,
Kent E. Hutchison

摘要

Objectives

Depression and alcohol use disorder (AUD) commonly co-occur, but effective treatments are lacking for addressing these co-occurring symptoms. This study examined whether mindfulness training may reduce AUD and depressive symptoms during and after outpatient psychotherapy for AUD.

Method

Data were analyzed from 148 participants who were randomized to receive mindfulness-based or cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention for AUD. Participants seeking treatment for AUD completed five assessments (pre-treatment, mid-treatment, end-treatment, 3 months post-treatment, and 6 months post-treatment) of alcohol-related problems (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT]), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI]), and mindfulness (the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ] full scale and subscales for awareness, describing, nonjudging, nonreactivity, and observing). Preliminary analyses tested whether the cross-sectional correlation between the AUDIT and BDI was attributable to mindfulness. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models tested whether mindfulness on one occasion affected subsequent AUDIT and BDI scores.

Results

The full scale FFMQ explained 31% of the cross-sectional correlation between AUDIT and BDI (r = 0.13[SE = 0.03], p < 0.001). Higher mid-treatment mindfulness was associated with lower post-treatment AUDIT scores (full scale FFMQ: b = − 5.15 [SE = 1.53], p < 0.01), including effects for the facets of awareness (b = − 1.82 [SE = 0.75], p < 0.05) and nonjudging (b = − 1.48 [SE = 0.72], p < 0.05). There were no significant effects of FFMQ on decreased BDI scores in this sample of individuals receiving outpatient AUD psychotherapy.

Conclusions

The current findings suggest that mindfulness helps reduce alcohol-related problems, but these effects did not extend to depressive symptoms. This suggests a dissociation between the role of mindfulness on alcohol use relative to depression.

Preregistration

This clinical trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02994043).