This randomised pilot trial evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a brief mindfulness-based Zentangle intervention for parents reporting mild-to-severe depression or anxiety symptoms. Parents (n = 61; aged 43.7 years on average, 93.4% female) of primary or secondary school children were randomised to two weekly 2-h mindfulness-based Zentangle sessions (n = 30) or waitlist control (n = 31). Feasibility outcomes included recruitment rate, consent rate, retention, session attendance, home practice (self-reported Zentangle drawings over 3 months), and acceptability (usefulness, satisfaction ratings). Exploratory outcomes assessed anxiety, depression, stress, mindful parenting, mental well-being, and quality of life at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Feasibility outcomes showed acceptable recruitment rate (39.2%), consent rate (63.5%), retention rate (> 90%), session attendance (77.5%), and modest home practice (M = 3.86 drawings in 3 months, SD = 2.1). Intervention acceptability was high (scores 7.71 to 8.64 out of 10). Compared to controls, the intervention group showed non-significant reductions in anxiety (d = −0.27), depression (d = −0.38), and stress (d = −0.22) at follow-ups. The mindfulness-based Zentangle intervention demonstrated feasibility and acceptability for parents. As for a brief two-session intervention, outcome changes were not expected, and the observed changes were exploratory signals only. A fully powered trial is required to evaluate effectiveness. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT06094803, registered on 10/31/2023
Wu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.