Date Presented 04/05/19
The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Ellie’s Meditative Movements (EMM) on persons with chronic conditions. The quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design. Twenty-four participants completed the intervention. Results showed significant impact on symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, emotional and functional well-being, and quality of life. EMM may contribute to improved symptom management and quality of life for persons with chronic conditions.
Primary Author and Speaker: Virgil Mathiowetz
PURPOSE: This study explored the effectiveness of Ellie’s Meditative Movements (EMM)(Peterson, 2008), a complementary alternative medicine (CAM), on persons with chronic health conditions. Persons with chronic conditions frequently experience fatigue, depression, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, pain, and poor quality of life. There is no effective cure for chronic conditions, therefore the current focus of healthcare intervention is on managing symptoms (Li et al., 2014). EMM is a new type of meditative movement, but there is no evidence of its effectiveness for managing symptoms of chronic health conditions. Three hypotheses were proposed: 1) Persons with chronic health conditions participating in EMM would have significantly decreased depression, anxiety, fatigue, BP, and an increased quality of life from pretest to posttest 2) Persons with chronic health conditions participating in EMM will maintain the beneficial effects, from posttest to follow-up. 3) Persons with chronic health conditions participating in EMM will increase in one or more levels on the Goal Attainment Scaling at follow-up. Occupational therapy has the opportunity to assist persons with chronic health conditions to manage their symptoms and to maximize occupational performance by utilizing EMM as an adjunct intervention.
DESIGN: This quasi-experimental study utilized a one group, pretest, posttest, and follow-up design. The study recruited a sample of 49 adults with one or more chronic health conditions from a community-based program that served this population. Twenty four participants completed a specialized meditative movement course.
METHOD: A weekly intervention of learning and practicing meditative movements paired with positive affirmations was provided for 7 weeks in a group setting. Weeks 8-12 consisted of a maintenance phase where participants practiced EMM on their own or during optional practice sessions. The Beck Anxiety Index, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General were utilized to measure symptoms including anxiety, depression, fatigue, and overall quality of life. Participant blood pressure was also measured. Goal Attainment Scaling was used to measure individual goals designated by each participant.
RESULTS: There were significant improvements in symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and emotional well-being from pretest to posttest, which supports hypothesis #1. All significant improvements were maintained from posttest to follow-up, which supports hypothesis #2. In addition, unanticipated significant improvements occurred in functional well-being and quality of life from posttest to follow-up. Majority of participants reported improvements in their individual goals on the goal attainment scale, which supports hypothesis #3.
CONCLUSION: Persons with chronic conditions who implemented EMM into their routines demonstrated positive outcomes for decreasing fatigue, anxiety, depression, and improving some aspects of quality of life. There were no significant impacts on blood pressure. This study has shown that EMM is effective at decreasing symptoms resulting from chronic conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, and cancer. EMM demonstrated improvement in several facets of participants’ quality of life, as well as their subjective view of their health status.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Results support the use of EMM as a new intervention strategy in occupational therapy, which enhances symptom management and quality of life for persons living with chronic health conditions. If the beneficial effects of EMM are supported by a randomized clinical trial, it could have a major impact on occupational therapy practice.
References
Li, G., Yuan, H., & Zhang, W. (2014). Effects of tai chi on health related quality of life in patients with chronic conditions: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 22, 743-755. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.06.003
Peterson, E. (2008). Meditative movements. Minneapolis, MN: Ellie’s Meditative Movements, LLC.
