Uni of Warwick study finds Be Mindful supports family carers' mental health

A qualitative study led by the University of Warwick exploring the perceived impacts of Wellmind Health's Be Mindful digital Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme for family carers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities has found the programme to have both direct and indirect perceived benefits.

Published in the journal, Mindfulness, this is the first-ever qualitative interview study specifically exploring the perceived outcomes of a self-directed, digital mindfulness intervention for family carers. It aimed to address the support needs of family carers of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they are vulnerable to experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression and stress.

'Family Carers of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities' Perceptions of the Impact of an Online Mindfulness Programme' examined the impact of completing the Be Mindful programme for 27 family carers (16 mothers, 4 fathers, 5 adult sisters, 2 adult brothers) of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Participants took part in qualitative interviews about their experience with the Be Mindful programme, delivered with or without peer mentor telephone support. The interviews were then analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Direct Perceived Benefits Results

Direct perceived benefits reported by participants ranged across:

• Improved wellbeing
• Paying attention to physiological stress responses
• Greater acceptance
• Reflection

Some carers had never previously had an effective way to manage their mental and physical states. The programme helped them recognise the importance of making time for themselves as part of necessary self-care. By better maintaining their own wellbeing through Be Mindful, carers further felt able to conduct caring responsibilities.

"I think I am more aware of my mental health from going through that course, it's sort of made me focus on actually 'this is really important'. I think generally I am trying to take a lot more care of my mental health."

That Be Mindful also improved family carers' ability to be reflective and present was particularly beneficial for sibling carers, who initially took more time to adjust to their caring role. It enabled them to feel more acceptance towards their position. Most family carers who incorporated some mindfulness practice into their daily lives were explicit that doing so led to personal benefits, finding it particularly useful in times of stress.

"More accepting instead of going 'this is just terrible', it's sort of like 'this seems terrible today, but tomorrow it'll probably be better'."

Indirect Perceived Benefits Results

The indirect benefits reported by the participants worked to further reduce their own stress and positively impact their daily lives. These included:

• Benefits to their family
• Improved relationships
• Ability to adopt mindfulness practices in other areas of their lives
• Better ability to contextualise their caring role

Perceived improvements in relationships and home lives were primarily reported by parent carers. Some family carers were able to reflect and be aware of how they were feeling, and they were able to act on this reflection and change some behaviours that could be detrimental.

"Giving my family a happier home. Honestly, I feel like because I'm able to manage my anxiety a bit better now, I feel like it's not so much stress on the rest of the family because I'm able to manage it. I can't pinpoint one point of what made me feel like that; it's just the whole course in general, piecing it all together has just made me a different person when it comes to anxiety."

By pausing and taking time to reflect on an interaction in the moment, instead of responding instinctively, some family carers noted that they were able to better consider their responses, which ultimately led to perceived improvements in their relationships with the people they cared for. This was possibly due to increased resilience or being more accepting of their caring roles.

"If I haven't done something for my child this week, or something hasn't been completed, I have learned through that course to step away from it, not judge it, not judge myself, and look at it with curiosity. I didn't do that before taking part in that course. So, it was an unexpected thing that has come out of it, which I still use and still apply actually."

Supporting family carers' mental health is essential given the often demanding and emotionally complex nature of their role, but they often have barriers to accessing support such as caring commitments, transport difficulties, and health problems for themselves and the person they give care to. We are delighted that this study demonstrates that the Be Mindful flexible, accessible digital mindfulness-based programme can help equip family carers with practical strategies to manage stress, build resilience and maintain their mental health.

Participants appreciated the digital, self-directed format of Be Mindful, allowing them to engage in their own time and in comfortable surroundings. This research also included sibling carers, who are often under-represented in research and less likely to normally receive support.

"We know that family carers of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have support needs that are not being met by services and supports, and that often the responsibility for improving their wellbeing falls solely to them. This can feel like an impossible task, given their caregiving and other roles. This study is important because it demonstrates that online mindfulness can be a helpful, flexible way for family carers to support their own wellbeing as a self-care measure. However, this should not be a replacement for wider societal and systemic change to better support family carers and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."

Supporting family carers to self-manage their mental health brings wider benefits, not only for individuals but also for families and support networks. This research demonstrates that improved wellbeing among carers through evidence-based digital mindfulness-based support can enhance relationships, create more positive home environments and ultimately strengthen the sustainability of care.