Modulating mechanisms of adverse childhood experiences in a mindfulness-based intervention: preliminary insights from an opioid use disorder study.

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are transdiagnostic developmental risk factors for various mental and physical health issues, including Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Existing research demonstrated ACE not only affects the onset, severity, and comorbidity of disorders, but also affects treatment responses. To investigate whether and how ACE modulates treatment effects of Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI), we conducted secondary analysis on the longitudinal data from a recent clinical trial on the effects of a MBI during outpatient buprenorphine treatment.

Methods: Using data from a RCT that randomized (1:1) a total of 196 patients with OUD into a live online group intervention with either a 24-week MBI or a matched recovery support control group, we conducted temporal path analysis with the following outcome measures: self-critical rumination, pain catastrophizing, pain interference, severity of depression and anxiety.

Results: Both treatment arms had significant reduction of all symptom measures, but the MBI arm had a significant mechanistic path of ACE (baseline) ➔Self-Critical Rumination (week 8)➔Pain Catastrophizing (week 16) ➔ Pain Interference (week 24), which was not significant in the control arm. Only in the MBI arm, ACE severity was significantly correlated with score reductions of Self-Critical Rumination (week 8), which was not significant in the control arm.

Conclusion: ACE modulated treatment responses to MBI, through a mechanistic path in which symptom changes of Self-Critical Rumination was a mediator between ACE and psychological symptom changes of pain catastrophizing and pain interference, suggesting Self-Critical Rumination can be considered as a therapeutic target in future intervention development.