The Here and Now: Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Reduce Symptoms of Anxiety in U.S. Veterans with PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent mental health condition among veterans, often requiring inpatient treatment due to symptom severity. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, especially anxiety, by enhancing emotional regulation and stress resilience. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to implement and evaluate a mindfulness intervention for veterans with PTSD in an inpatient setting. Guided by a QI implementation model, the project incorporated structured mindfulness sessions, and interdisciplinary collaboration to support adoption. A pre- and post- intervention design assessed changes in anxiety symptom severity, mindful awareness, and patient engagement. Data was collected using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) to assess anxiety symptoms and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) to measure changes in mindfulness levels. Preliminary findings indicated a reduction in anxiety and improved mindful awareness among participants. These findings suggest that mindfulness interventions may serve as a valuable adjunct to conventional PTSD treatments in inpatient settings, solidifying the need for sustainable implementation strategies.