Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on depression and anxiety in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry September 1, 2026 Jieping Ding, Zafar Mehnaz Ali, Ateya Megahed Ibrahim et al.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) may reduce depressive symptoms in adults aged 60 years and older compared with control conditions. A meta-analysis of three randomized controlled trials involving 178 participants found that MBCT was associated with significantly lower depressive symptom severity (pooled effect size Hedges g = -0.92, 95% confidence interval -1.30 to -0.55, with no heterogeneity). Evidence for anxiety and quality-of-life outcomes was limited and could not be pooled, and no trials reported relapse or recurrence. The authors note the evidence base remains small and heterogeneous, calling for larger, methodologically rigorous trials with standardized outcomes and longer follow-up.