A randomized controlled trial with two arms. 55 veterans meeting diagnostic criteria for Gulf War Syndrome were randomized to standard care or standard care plus an 8-week course of course of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Study measures were collected at baseline, immediate post-MBSR (within one week of completion of the MBSR class) and 6 months following completion of the MBSR course. Measures were obtained at equivalent time points for veterans randomized to usual care only. Following completion, veterans randomized to standard care only had the opportunity to enroll in MBSR.~This pilot study will whether there is sufficient evidence of benefit to warrant further study, and gathered data that will allow estimation of the sample size needed in future studies. We also obtained measures working memory and attention, in addition to patient self-report measures of symptoms, in order to provide additional assessment of whether MBSR is effective. This project is prerequisite to a larger study.
This pilot study is a two arm randomized, controlled clinical trial that evaluated whether a standardized Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention reduces symptoms associated with Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) more effectively than treatment as usual. Fifty-five veterans meeting diagnostic criteria for Gulf War Syndrome were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU plus an 8-week course of course of MBSR. Study measures were collected at baseline, immediate post-MBSR, and 6 months post intervention. Measures were obtained at equivalent time points for veterans randomized to TAU only. Following completion of all study activities, veterans randomized to TAU only had the opportunity to enroll in MBSR.