Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Its Effects on Psychoimmunological Factors of Chemically Pulmonary Injured Veterans

• Published in: Iranian journal of allergy, asthma, and immunology asthma, and immunology, 2016-12, Vol.15 (6), p.476-486
• Main Authors: Arefnasab, Zahra, Babamahmoodi, Abdolreza, Babamahmoodi, Farhang, Noorbala, Ahmad Ali, Alipour, Ahmad, Panahi, Yunes, Shams, Jamal, Riazi Rad, Farhad, Khaze, Vahid, Ghanei, Mostafa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Anxiety; Breast cancer; Cancer therapies; CD4 antigen; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Cell Proliferation; Chemical Warfare Agents - poisoning; Chemokines; Chronic Disease; Chronic illnesses; Cooperation; Cytokines; Hormones; Humans; Immune system; Immunity; Immunology; Injuries; Interleukin 17; Interleukin-17 - immunology; Intervention; Iran; Killer Cells, Natural - immunology; Lung Injury - chemically induced; Lung Injury - immunology; Lung Injury - psychology; Lungs; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Male; Mental depression; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Military personnel; Mindfulness; Mindfulness - methods; Mustard gas; Mustard Gas - poisoning; Natural killer cells; Peripheral blood; Prostate cancer; Psychoneuroimmunology; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Stress; Stress, Psychological - immunology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Stress, Psychological - therapy; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Veterans - psychology
• ISSN: 1735-1502; 1735-5249

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a treatment program for relieving stress and coping with chronic illnesses. In recent three decades, studies have shown that MBSR has a positive effect on physical and psychological dimensions of chronic illnesses. Chemically pulmonary injured veterans have chronic pulmonary and psychological problems due to mustard gas exposure and complications of Iran-Iraq war. These stresses have negative effects on their general health and immune system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study conducted on psychoneuroimmunology and MBSR in these patients. Forty male pulmonary injured veterans were randomly divided in two groups with 20 participants (MBSR and wait-list control). Then MBSR group received 8 weekly sessions of intervention. We tested mental health based on general health questionnaire (GHQ)-28 questionnaire, health-related quality of life (based on St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) ) and immunity in MBSR groups; before and after intervention "mixed factorial analyses of variance" test was used for analyzing data fpr each dependent variable and appropriate t-tests were done in The necessary condition. Results showed that mental health and health- related quality of life, in MBSR group compared to wait-list control improved [F (1,38)=26.46, p