HEADS:UP

What is HEADS: UP?

Many stroke survivors experience emotional difficulties and problems with mood. This could include feelings of stress, anxiety and depression after a stroke. Mindfulness has been found to help individuals manage these issues.

HEADS: UP is an innovative nine-week course designed to help individuals affected by stroke to learn mindfulness skills that might help them to cope with emotional difficulties, particularly anxiety and depression. It is based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction therapy.

What was it like taking part in HEADS: UP?

Hear from our HEADS: UP. past participants and how the experience has helped them better manage anxiety and depression.

What is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction?

Mindfulness expert Jon Kabat Zinn explains mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment on purpose and without judgement.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a self-management course that teaches people mindfulness skills that may help them to cope better with anxiety and depression. Exercises used during the course include meditation, mindful breathing, and mindful movement. With practice, these exercises can help improve your mindfulness skills. Working together with people affected by stroke we developed the HEADS: UP course – a stroke-specific version of MBSR.

HEADS: UP Research

Between 2019-2021 we ran two feasibility research studies. The first tested HEADS: UP delivered in person to a group affected by stroke. This study took place in Glasgow. The second research study tested the HEADS: UP course delivered online to a group of people affected by stroke. These studies let us know what worked and what didn't work about the course and how it was delivered. They also let us know what people thought about the research itself, such as what it was like getting involved in the research and filling out questionnaires.

In 2021 we started a third research study- the HEADS: UP Online Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups - the intervention group or the control group. All participants completed a set of questionnaires at four different time points over the course of six months and were invited to take part in focus groups. Participants assigned to the ‘control group’ did the questionnaires and the focus groups. Participants assigned to the 'intervention group' also did the HEADS: UP Online nine-week course. Having two groups like this lets us compare the effects of HEADS: UP against the control group.

Recruitment to this next stage of the research has closed, but we are still collecting data from participants. We hope to report the results of the research in Spring of 2023.

If you’re interested in finding out about the results, please contact us using the research teams' contact details or the easy-to-complete form below.

Publications and media

Parkinson, B., Lawrence, M., McElhinney, E., & Booth, J. (2019). Mindfulness for people with long-term conditions and their family caregivers: A systematic review. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 34, 76-86.

Lawrence, M., Booth, J., Mercer, S., & Crawford, E. (2013). A systematic review of the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions following transient ischemic attack and stroke. International Journal of Stroke, 8(6), 465-474.

Lawrence M, Davis B, De Amicis L, Booth J, Dickson S, Dougall N, Grealy M, Jani B, Maxwell M, Parkinson B, Pieri M, Mercer S. The HEADS: UP Development Study: Working with Key Stakeholders to Adapt a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course for People with Anxiety and Depression after Stroke. Healthcare. 2023; 11(3):355.

Report to Chief Scientist Office CSO

Newspaper article from The Herald: Glasgow stroke study uses mindfulness to manage anxiety and depression

Article from Stroke Rehab Times: HEADS:UP: The mindfulness course for stroke survivors

HEADS: UP Final Report Spring 2024

Abstracts from the European Stroke Journal:
- Assessing the benefit, acceptability and feasibility of a stroke-specific psychological self-management intervention, HEADS: UP
- Hashtag research: utilising social media for recruitment of stroke survivors to the HEADS: UP online randomised controlled trial, a stroke-specific psychological self-management intervention
- HEADS: UP mixed methods development study: working with stakeholders to adapt a mindfulness-based stress reduction course for stroke survivors with mood disorder.

Registered protocols

HEADS: UP Pilot Feasibility Protocol
Feasibility 2: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04567472
Pilot RCT: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04985838

Project team

Professor Maggie Lawrence is the Lead HEADS: UP Researcher
Dr Bridget Davis is a Senior Research Fellow and HEADS: UP Project Manager
Naomi Clark is the HEADS: UP Researcher

Funders

Chief Scientists Office: August 2017 – January 2019
- Final Report
The Stroke Association: June 2019 – October 2022
- Research Outline

Project Advisory Group

The Project Advisory Group (PAG) is a group of people who support and advise the HEADS: UP study. There are eight members who are people affected by stroke, family members and health professionals involved in stroke care. They all have an interest in and experience of mindfulness.The PAG meet with members of the HEADS: UP research team every month and are involved in all aspects of the study.