Online mindfulness-based interventions have a small but significant beneficial impact on depression, anxiety, well-being, and mindfulness, with the largest effect on stress (moderate effect size). Guided online MBIs showed significantly higher effect sizes for stress and mindfulness than unguided ones. The number of intervention sessions significantly moderated stress outcomes. These findings suggest that online MBIs can improve mental health, particularly stress.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials totaling 1,285 chronic pain patients found that acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions (such as ACT, MBSR, and MBCT) produce small to moderate improvements in pain intensity, depression, anxiety, pain interference, disability, and quality of life at post-treatment, with small to large effects at follow-up. ACT showed significantly larger effects on depression and anxiety than MBSR or MBCT. The authors conclude these interventions are not superior to traditional cognitive behavioral treatments but can serve as good alternatives.