Mindfulness, self-compassion training improves quality of life for eczema patients

A mindfulness and self-compassion training intervention is effective for improving quality of life (QOL) among adults with atopic dermatitis, according to a study published online May 10 in JAMA Dermatology.

Sanae Kishimoto, M.P.H., from Kyoto University in Japan, and colleagues examined the efficacy of mindfulness and self-compassion training in improving QOL for adults with atopic dermatitis in a randomized clinical trial. A total of 107 adults were randomly assigned to receive eight 90-minute weekly group sessions of online mindfulness and self-compassion training or to a waiting list (56 and 51 patients, respectively).

The researchers observed a greater improvement in the Dermatology Life Quality Index score at 13 weeks in the intervention group (between-group difference estimate, −6.34). At 13 weeks, the standardized effect size (Cohen d) was −1.06. Greater improvements were seen in the intervention versus the waiting-list group for all secondary outcomes, including eczema severity, itch- and scratching-related visual analog scales, self-compassion and all of its subscales, mindfulness, psychological symptoms, and participants' adherence to dermatologist-advised treatments.

"The present study is the first, to our knowledge, to show that group-format mindfulness and self-compassion enhances the QOL for adults with atopic dermatitis," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.