Effect of Mindfulness on Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes in Stable Phase Schizophrenia

This report describes the results of a randomized controlled feasibility study of the Mindfulness Intervention for Rehabilitation and Recovery in Schizophrenia (MIRRORS). MIRRORS is an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction designed to help persons with schizophrenia to persist and perform better at work. Thirty-four participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were engaged in outpatient services were enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program that included a job placement and then were randomized to receive MIRRORS (n = 18) or Intensive Support (n = 16) over a period of 16 weeks. The number of hours worked was recorded weekly and job performance was assessed monthly using the Work Behavior Inventory. Results of t-tests revealed that participants in the MIRRORS group worked a significantly greater number of hours and performed significantly better at the end of the 4-month intervention than those in the Intensive Support condition. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that the MIRRORS group worked more hours each week on average and that this difference increased over time as well as having generally better work performance compared with the Intensive Support group. Results suggest a link between MIRRORS and higher levels of work performance and persistence in people with schizophrenia. Further research is indicated to evaluate MIRRORS in a fully powered randomized controlled trial.