A Comparison of the Benefits of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Relaxation Therapy and a Waiting List Control in the Management of Distress in Chronic Tinnitus Patients

The principal hypotheses to be tested is that Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduces the distressing impact of tinnitus to a significantly greater extent than a waiting list control or relaxation therapy. This study is a mixed design, with two groups assessed at a number of time points. The primary outcome measure will be that of tinnitus distress, and secondary outcomes will be taken of psychological distress and tinnitus loudness. The outcome measures will be measured first at 8 weeks pre-treatment. All subjects then wait for 8 weeks before being randomly allocated to either an 8 week course of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) (Group 1) or an 8 week course of Relaxation Therapy (RT) (Group 2). All participants will be assessed at two main time-points (pre and post-treatment). The outcome measures will be repeated at 1 and 6 month follow-up points.