AUTHOR=Oakes-Cornellissen Amanda , Morton Darren , Rankin Paul , Renfrew Melanie 

TITLE=Efficacy of a multimodal lifestyle intervention (The Lift Project) for improving the mental health of individuals with an affective mood disorder living in South Africa

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127068

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127068

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Affective disorders are becoming more pervasive worldwide, including in Southern Africa, where treating patients with these conditions is challenging due to social and financial constraints. A variety of non-pharmacological approaches including lifestyle medicine (e.g., exercise, nutrition, sleep) and positive psychology practices (e.g., gratitude, service), are effective for treating mental health (MH) conditions.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Twenty-six individuals from South Africa with a diagnosed MH condition participated in a 10-week multimodal intervention incorporating a diverse range of non-pharmacological strategies for improving MH. MH metrics were assessed pre-and post-intervention, including general MH, vitality/energy (VIT), depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life. MH and VIT were also measured weekly.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Improvements were observed in all mental metrics from pre-to post-intervention: MH (59%, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, Cohen’s <italic>D</italic> = 1.36), VIT (110%, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, Cohen’s <italic>D</italic> = 1.71), depression (−46%, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, Cohen’s <italic>D</italic> = −1.06), anxiety (−48%, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, Cohen’s <italic>D</italic> = −1.21), stress (−36%, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, Cohen’s <italic>D</italic> = −1.08) and life satisfaction (23%, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, Cohen’s <italic>D</italic> = 0.66). Significant improvements in MH and VIT were observed after only 1 week of the intervention and progressively increased until the seventh week, after which further improvements were not statistically significant.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The findings of this cohort study indicate that a multimodal intervention that incorporates lifestyle and positive psychology practices may benefit individuals living with an affective disorder. Non-pharmacological, multimodal interventions might offer a stigma-free way of providing MH promotion and treatment at a population level.</p></sec>