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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Residual Symptoms in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: a Qualitative Analysis

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Abstract

Many individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have residual symptoms after undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Mindfulness meditation techniques may help alleviate these residual symptoms. This study qualitatively evaluates the acceptability and perceived benefit of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) intervention tailored to individuals with OCD who continue to suffer symptoms following CBT. A sample of 32 participants (which included seven pilot phase participants) with a principal diagnosis of OCD completed an 8-week MCBT intervention and were interviewed approximately 2 weeks post-intervention. The satisfaction interviews consisted of 21 questions that assessed treatment outcomes and treatment acceptability. An inductive thematic approach was used to identify, analyze, and describe overall patterns and themes (i.e., codes) within the participant responses. We identified 64 (+6 miscellaneous) data-generated codes and a total of eight (+1 miscealleous) key themes that encompassed participants’ reported treatment outcomes. Participants verbally reported a decrease in perceived OCD symptoms, an increase in mindfulness and coping skills, high treatment acceptability, and overall quality of life improvement after undergoing the MBCT intervention. Our results provide a detailed description of participants’ perspectives regarding the efficacy and acceptability of MBCT for OCD and support for the perceived benefit of MBCT as an augmentative strategy following CBT to optimize treatment outcomes for individuals with OCD.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Veesta Mavandadi for assisting in determining inter-rater reliability. This manuscript presents the qualitative analyses of a data set first described in Key et al. (2015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada

    Christina M. G. Sguazzin, Brenda L. Key, Karen Rowa, Peter J. Bieling & Randi E. McCabe

  2. Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, Ontario, L9C 0E3, Canada

    Brenda L. Key, Karen Rowa, Peter J. Bieling & Randi E. McCabe

Authors
  1. Christina M. G. Sguazzin
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  2. Brenda L. Key
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  3. Karen Rowa
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  4. Peter J. Bieling
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  5. Randi E. McCabe
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Correspondence to Brenda L. Key.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Additional informed consent was obtained from all individual participants for whom identifying information is included in this article. All identifiable participant information was replaced with a numerical study ID during data analysis in order to ensure confidentiality.

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This research was not supported by a funding body. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Sguazzin, C.M.G., Key, B.L., Rowa, K. et al. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Residual Symptoms in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: a Qualitative Analysis. Mindfulness 8, 190–203 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0592-y

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