Evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness exercise on cognitive empowerment and balance in the elderly with history of falling

Subject Areas : Sports Science and Healthy

somaye talighi ¹ , negar arazeshi ² , keyvan mollanorozy ³ , مرضیه بلالی ⁴

1 - Department of motor Behavior, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor of Physical Education & sport Science, Almahdi mehr Isfahan Higher Education institute, Isfahan, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
4 - استادیار دانشکده تربیت بدنی دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی تهران مرکزی، تهران، ایران

Received: 2024-10-05 Accepted : 2024-11-03 Published : 2025-01-15

Keywords: Mindfulness, cognitive empowerment, balance, Aging, history of falling,

Abstract :

The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness in enhancing cognitive empowerment and balance among elderly individuals with a history of falls. In this quasi-experimental study, 16 elderly individuals with a history of falls (mean age 72 ± 6 years) from Qom City in 2023 were selected through convenience and purposive sampling. They were then randomly assigned to two groups: one for mindfulness exercises (8 participants) and a control group (8 participants). In this study, the mindfulness intervention protocol developed by Di Petrillo, Kaufman, Glass, and Arenkov (2009) was delivered in six sessions, with each session lasting between 1 to 1.5 hours over a period of three weeks. The Spreitzer Psychological Empowerment Scale (1995) was utilized to evaluate cognitive empowerment data, while the Johnson and Nelson (1991) Stork Static Balance Test and the Podcialdo and Richardson (1991) Dynamic Balance Test were employed to assess balance performance. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance at a significance level of P < 0.05. The results indicated that mindfulness training led to a no significant improvement in both static and dynamic balance among elderly individuals with a history of falls (p > 0.05). Mindfulness training was associated with a no significant improvement in cognitive empowerment among elderly individuals with a history of falls (p < 0.05).

It appears that three weeks of mindfulness training can offer cognitive and motor benefits for older adults with a history of falls; however, longer durations of this intervention may yield more significant effects. The limitations of the present study include the small number of samples. Given the limited sample size of the study, it is recommended that larger studies with larger sample sizes be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on cognitive and motor benefits for elderly people with a history of falls. It is also recommended that a similar study be conducted among elderly people with cognitive disorders and the results be compared.

Overall, it seems that three weeks of mindfulness training can provide cognitive and motor benefits for elderly people with a history of falls. However, longer periods of these interventions may be more effective.

References:

Ballard, H. K., Goen, J. R., Maldonado, T., & Bernard, J. A. (2019). Effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on the cognitive stage of sequence learning. Journal of neurophysiology, 122(2), p. 490-499.
Bednarczuk G, &.Rutkowska I. Factors of balance determining the risk of falls in physically active women aged over 50 years. PeerJ. 2022;10:e12952.
Berk L, van Boxtel M, & van Os J. (2016). Can mindfulness-based interventions influence cognitive functioning in older adults? A review and considerations for future research. Aging Ment Health; 21(11), p. 1113–1120.
Britton, W. B., Shahar, B., Szepsenwol, O., & Jacobs, W. J. (2012). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy improves emotional reactivity to social stress: results from a randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 43(2), 365-380
Cai ZZ, Lin R, Wang XX, Yan YJ, & Li H. (2022). Effects of mindfulness in patients with mild cognitive impairment with insomnia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Geriatr Nurs, 47, p. 239–46
Chang M., D. Büchel, K. & Reinecke, T. (2022). Lehmann, J. Baumeister Ecological validity in exercise neuroscience research: a systematic investigation Eur J Neurosci.
Chételat G, Lutz A, Arenaza-Urquijo E, et al. (2018). Why could meditation practice help promote mental health and well-being in aging? Alzheimer's Res Ther, 10(1), p. 1–4.
Chiesa A, Calati R, & Serretti A. (2011). Does mindfulness training improve cognitive abilities? A systematic review of neuropsychological findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 31:p. 449–464
De Petrillo, L. A., Kaufman, K. A., Glass, C. R., & Arnkoff, D. B. (2009). Mindfulness for long-distance runners: An open trial using Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE). Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 3(4), p. 357-376.
D'elia Y, Whitfield T, Schlosser M, Lutz A, Barnhofer T, Chételat G, Marchant NL, Gonneaud J, & Klimecki O; (2024). Medit‐Ageing group. Impact of mindfulness-based and health self-management interventions on mindfulness, self-compassion, and physical activity in older adults with subjective cognitive decline: A secondary analysis of the SCD-Well randomized controlled trial. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 16(1), p. e12558.
Dexing Zhang, Eric K P Lee, Eva C W Mak, C Y Ho, Samuel Y S Wong. (2021). Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review, British Medical Bulletin, 138:1, p. 41–57
Erickson KI, Hillman CH, Kramer AF. Physical activity, brain, and cognition. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2015;4, p. 27–32.
Fam J, Sun Y, Qi P, Lau RC, Feng L, Kua EH, Mahendran R. (2020). Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community-living elders with mild cognitive impairment. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 74(4), p. 257-262.
Gard T, Hölzel BK, Lazar SW. (2014). The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: a systematic review. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1307, p. 89-103.
Giulietti MV, Spatuzzi R, Fabbietti P, Vespa A. Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) in Patients with Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease: A Pilot Study. Brain Sci. 2023;13(3), p. 484.
Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction(MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, National Liberery of Medicine, 10 (1), p. 83-100.
Gómez-Cáceres B, Cano-López I, Aliño M, Puig-Perez S. (2022). Effectiveness of virtual reality-based neuropsychological interventions in improving cognitive functioning in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta- analysis. Clin Neuropsychol, p. 1–34
Grossman P, Niemann L, Schmidt S, Walach H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57, p. 35–43
Isbel B, Lagopoulos J, Hermens D, et al. (2020). Mindfulness improves attention resource allocation during response inhibition in older adults. Mindfulness, 11(6), p. 1500–1510
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: past, present, and future. Wiley Online Library.
Kamranmehr, F., Farsi, A., Kavyani, M. (2020). 'The Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Biofeedback-Relaxation Training on Anxiety, Depression and Dynamic and Static Balance in the Elderly Women with Mild Anxiety and Depression', Aging Psychology, 6(3), pp. 248-233.
KEE, Ying Hwa. (2012). Mindfulness, movement control, and attentional focus strategies: effects of mindfulness on a postural balance task. J Sport Exer Psych, 34(5), p. 561-79.
Keng SL, Smoski MJ, Robins CJ. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: a review of empirical studies. Clin Psychol Rev, 31(6), p. 1041-56.
Klainin-Yobas P, Kowitlawakul Y, Lopez V, Tang CT, Hoek KE, Gan GL, Lei F, Rawtaer I, Mahendran R. (2019). The effects of mindfulness and health education programs on the emotional state and cognitive function of elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled trial. J Clin Neurosci, 68, p. 211-217.
Prakash RS. (2021). Mindfulness Meditation: Impact on Attentional Control and Emotion Dysregulation. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 36(7), p. 1283-1290.
Rahmani J. Ajilchi B. Zareian E. (2017). Relationship between Mindfulness and Cognitive Abilities in Blind Veteran Athletes. ISSN: 2008-2630 Iranian Journal of War & Public Health, 9(2), p. 105-110.
Sadaqa M, Németh Z, Makai A, Prémusz V, Hock M. (2023). Effectiveness of exercise interventions on fall prevention in ambulatory community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review with narrative synthesis. Front Public Health. 11:1209319.
Wang Y, Lei SM, Fan J. (2023). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Promoting Athletic Performance and Related Factors among Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 20(3), p. 2038.
Whitfield T, Barnhofer T, Acabchuk R, Cohen A, Lee M, Schlosser M, Arenaza-Urquijo EM, Böttcher A, Britton W, Coll-Padros N, Collette F, Chételat G, Dautricourt S, Demnitz-King H, Dumais T, Klimecki O, Meiberth D, Moulinet I, Müller T, Parsons E, Sager L, Sannemann L, Scharf J, Schild AK, Touron E, Wirth M, Walker Z, Moitra E, Lutz A, Lazar SW, Vago D, Marchant NL. (2022). The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neuropsychol Rev. 32(3), p. 677-702.
Xing L, Bao Y, Wang B, Shi M, Wei Y, Huang X, Dai Y, Shi H, Gai X, Luo Q, Yin Y, Qin D. (2023). Falls caused by balance disorders in the elderly with multiple systems involved: Pathogenic mechanisms and treatment strategies. Front Neurol. 14:1128092.
Xiong J, Ye M, Wang L, Zheng G. (2021). Effects of physical exercise on executive function in cognitively healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Nurs Stud, 114:103810
Zhang D, Lee EKP, Mak ECW, Ho CY, Wong SYS. (2021). Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review. Br Med Bull, 138(1), p. 41-57.