• Ethan Lester, Sofia DiStefano, Ryan Mace, Eric Macklin, Scott Plotkin, and Ana-Maria Vranceanu.
• Integrated Brain Health Clinical and Research Program, Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America. Electronic address: elester@mgh.harvard.edu.
• Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2020 Jan 1; 62: 72-78.

ObjectiveTo examine the feasibility, acceptability, preliminary effect, and durability of a mind-body videoconferencing program for youth with neurofibromatosis (Resilient Youth with NF; RY-NF) against an experimental educational control (Health Education for NF; HE-NF) via a single-blind pilot RCT.MethodAdolescents with NF (N = 51; age 12-17) completed baseline assessments and were randomized (1:1/ to intervention or experimental educational control). The multiple primary outcomes were physical health and psychological quality of life (QoL). Secondary outcomes were social relations QoL, environmental QoL, depression, anxiety, pain intensity and pain interference. Posttreatment and at 6-month follow-up assessments were collected.ResultsForty-five adolescents (88%) completed posttreatment, and 37 (82%) completed 6-month follow-up. Satisfaction was high in both conditions. The RY-NF showed greater baseline to posttreatment improvements in physical health QoL (10.18; 95% CI: 0.47-19.90; p = .040), psychological QoL (9.45; 95% CI: 0.78-18.11; p = .033), social relations QoL (13.19; 95% CI: 1.87-24.50; p = .023), and environmental QoL (9.26; 95% CI: 3.49-15.49; p = .002), compared to the HE-NF (between group effects). Improvements were clinically meaningful and maintained through follow-up.ConclusionsThe RY-NF was well accepted, highly feasible and resulted in sustained improvement in QoL, demonstrating adolescents are receptive to and benefit from learning resiliency skills in groups via live video.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

26 keywords...

hide…