Effect of mindfulness training on asthma quality of life and lung function: a randomised controlled trial
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the efficacy of a mindfulness training programme (mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)) in improving asthma-related quality of life and lung function in patients with asthma. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial compared an 8-week MBSR group-based programme (n=42) with an educational control programme (n=41) in adults with mild, moderate or severe persistent asthma recruited at a university hospital outpatient primary care and pulmonary care clinic. Primary outcomes were quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire) and lung function (change from baseline in 2-week average morning peak expiratory flow (PEF)). Secondary outcomes were asthma control assessed by 2007 National Institutes of Health/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute guidelines, and stress (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)). Follow-up assessments were conducted at 10 weeks, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: At 12 months MBSR resulted in clinically significant improvements from baseline in quality of life (differential change in Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score for MBSR vs control: 0.66 (95% CI 0.30 to 1.03; p<0.001)) but not in lung function (morning PEF, PEF variability and forced expiratory volume in 1 s). MBSR also resulted in clinically significant improvements in perceived stress (differential change in PSS score for MBSR vs control: -4.5 (95% CI -7.1 to -1.9; p=0.001)). There was no significant difference (p=0.301) in percentage of patients in MBSR with well controlled asthma (7.3% at baseline to 19.4%) compared with the control condition (7.5% at baseline to 7.9%). CONCLUSIONS: MBSR produced lasting and clinically significant improvements in asthma-related quality of life and stress in patients with persistent asthma, without improvements in lung function. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Asthma and Mindfulness-Based Reduction (MBSR) Identifier: NCT00682669. clinicaltrials.gov.
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Mindfulness therapy for individuals with asthma and relaxation therapy for individuals with increased anxiety showed no additive effect compared to control.
“Others have investigated mindfulness therapy for individuals with asthma (Pbert et al., 2012) and relaxation therapy for individuals with increased anxiety (Yorke et al., 2017) with no additive effect compared to control.”
From Targeting excessive avoidance behavior to reduce anxiety related to asthma: A feasibility study of an exposure-based treatment delivered online (2021) · cites this paper as Pbert et al., 2012
The Results (Primary Outcomes; page unavailable) report that mindfulness training significantly improved asthma-related quality of life compared with control. The paper found no significant effect on lung function, but that narrower finding does not support the unqualified claim of no added effect. This verdict concerns the mindfulness–asthma finding attributed to Pbert et al., not the separately cited relaxation-therapy finding. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMindfulness used in combination with acceptance has been found to successfully reduce stress and improve quality of life and control in patients with asthma.
“Such an intervention has been found to successfully reduce stress and improve quality of life and control in patients with asthma [45].”
From Can we identify patients with different illness schema following an acute exacerbation of COPD: A cluster analysis (2014) · cites this paper as [45]
The Discussion reports clinically significant improvements in asthma-related quality of life, and Results > Secondary Outcomes reports significantly reduced perceived stress after MBSR (page numbers unavailable). The same Results section says improvement in well-controlled asthma was not statistically significant compared with controls, so the claim of improved asthma control is not established. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe unaltered lung function in this study is in line with Pbert et al. (2012) who saw no significant change after CBT.
“The unaltered lung function in this study is in line with Pbert et al. (2012) who saw no significant change after CBT.”
From Targeting excessive avoidance behavior to reduce anxiety related to asthma: A feasibility study of an exposure-based treatment delivered online (2021) · cites this paper as Pbert et al., 2012
The Results (Primary Outcomes, Lung Function) report no significant effect on morning PEF, PEF variability, or FEV1. But the Methods (Abstract) identify the intervention as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), not CBT, so the claim misidentifies the treatment. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPbert and colleagues found that an MBSR group had 12-month improvements in asthma-related quality of life and perceived stress and used fewer short-acting bronchodilators than controls, with no significant lung function changes.
“Pbert and colleagues (2012) found that, compared to those in the control condition, individuals in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group demonstrated 12-month improvements in asthma-related quality of life, perceived stress, and decreased use of short-acting bronchodilators despite no significant changes in lung function.”
From Evaluating the role of mindfulness in terms of asthma-related outcomes and depression and anxiety symptoms among individuals with asthma. (2019) · cites this paper as Pbert et al., 2012
Randomized controlled trials targeting stress management have largely led to improvement in the morbidity of inflammatory diseases.
“Concordantly, several randomized controlled trials targeting stress management have largely lead to improvement in the morbidity of inflammatory diseases (Black and Slavich, 2016; Pbert et al., 2012; Simpson et al., 2014).”
From Origin and function of stress-induced IL-6 in murine models (2020) · cites this paper as Pbert et al., 2012
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“In addition, a more recent and positive study of a mindfulness intervention in patient with chronic asthma support the equipoise in the topic of mindfulness in chronic lung disease and certainly more research is needed in this very topic to define its use and appropriateness.(6) One aspect that needs to be taken into…”
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“Pbert et al. (2012) found that, compared to those in the control condition, individuals in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group demonstrated 12-month improvements in asthma-related quality of life, perceived stress, and decreased use of short-acting bronchodilators despite no…”
ResultFellows, J. L., Flower, L., Blakey, J., Kurukulaaratchy, R., Howard, R., & Mansur, A. (2015) · Journal of Asthma · doi:10.3109/02770903.2014.1003155 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Pbert, L., Madison, J. M., Druker, S., Olendzki, N., Magner, R., Reed, G., Allison, J., & Carmody, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- Corresponding author
- Carmody, James
- Venue
- Thorax
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2012-04-27
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 769-776
- ISSN
- 0040-6376 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-3296
- PMC
- PMC4181405
- OpenAlex
- W2100431856
- Semantic Scholar
- 93564aa4869b652c5b7c6ccd3a2e4f9626ac525c
- Cited by
- 164
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 14.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Thorax (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network (American Medical Association) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R21AT002938, R01AT008393)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research
- Keywords
- mindfulness-based stress reduction, asthma, quality of life, lung function, peak expiratory flow, perceived stress, asthma control, persistent asthma, psychological intervention
- MeSH terms
- Asthma, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Respiratory Function Tests, Stress, Psychological, Treatment Outcome, Meditation
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