Mindfulness: Physical and psychological outcomes in a military setting

Background: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been shown to positively improve physical and psychological symptoms in a variety of populations. It has been found to increase cognitive flexibility, attention, and emotion regulation. These traits are especially relevant to those with PTSD. Despite the potential benefit, there has been limited work on MBSR conducted within military communities. Objective: To assess the effect of an MBSR-like course on physical and psychological outcomes among civilian and military personnel at Camp Zama, Japan. Methods: An eight-week MBSR-like course was provided to 27 civilian and military personnel at Camp Zama in early 2012. The course consisted of: 2-3 hour weekly sessions, 45-minute sessions at home on most days each week and an 8 hour silent retreat. Participants were surveyed about their health at the beginning (pretest) and at the end of the course (post-test). Results: Despite a small N at post-test (N=13), there were significant declines in reporting of overall and psychological symptoms (8.77 vs. 5.00; 4.23 vs. 1.38, respectively), symptom distress (27.62 vs. 22.77), and in self-assessed improvements in five health dimensions. Also, three out of five facets of mindfulness significantly improved. Pre-post attrition was most likely to occur among males and those <44 years. Conclusions: The findings of this pilot study support the potential for Mindfulness to improve the health outcomes of personnel within a military context. Some refinements may need to be made to the course in order to retain younger males in such a program within military communities.