The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Improving the Mental Health of Parents of Children with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Tingting Yang, Yufei Wang, Ping Xu, Yuexian Tao
Journal of autism and developmental disorders March 13, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-025-06790-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,124 |
| Population | Parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based interventions |
| Duration | 8-week intervention or more (subgroup analysis) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Caregivers Developmental disability Intellectual disability Meta-analysis |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions moderately reduce stress, depressive symptoms, distress, and anxiety in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and improve parent-child relationships. |
Abstract
This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in improving the mental health of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), specifically focusing on outcomes such as parental stress, anxiety, depression, and parent-child relationships. A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and others, up to December 2024. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed bias risk using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Studies involving parents of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities who received mindfulness-based interventions and reported psychological outcomes were included. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4 software, with a random effects model applied. This systematic review included 15 studies (1124 participants), of which 14 were used for meta-analysis (1078 participants). The results indicate that mindfulness-based interventions reduced the stress levels [SMD = - 0.26, 95% CI (- 0.49, - 0.04)], depressive symptoms [SMD = - 0.37, 95% CI (- 0.66, - 0.08)], distress [SMD = - 0.26, 95% CI (- 0.43, - 0.09)] and anxiety symptoms[SMD = - 0.35, 95% CI (- 0.66, - 0.04)] of parents of children with IDDs, while also improving parent-child relationships [SMD = - 0.32, 95% CI (- 0.05, - 0.58)], although the effects were moderate. Subgroup analyses revealed that interventions lasting 8 weeks or more [SMD =- 0.41, 95% CI (-0.67, -0.14)] and those targeting only the parents [SMD = - 0.26, 95% CI (- 0.44, - 0.08)] showed some positive effects in improving parent-child relationships or parent stress. Mindfulness-based interventions appear to have a positive effect on improving the mental health of parents of children with IDDs. However, the evidence of their effectiveness in enhancing parental mindfulness remains inconclusive. Future studies should consider the key factors influencing intervention implementation and optimize the design of large-scale randomized controlled trials to systematically and comprehensively assess the effectiveness and applicability of mindfulness-based interventions.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Family Carers of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’ Perceptions of the Impact of an Online Mindfulness Programme Mindfulness July 8, 2026
- Mindfulness and communication intervention for mothers of children with developmental disabilities in Yangon: A randomized controlled trial on parental stress and problem-solving communication. International Journal of Nursing Sciences March 1, 2026
Cites 19
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction for Parents of Young Children with Developmental Delays: Implications for Parental Mental Health and Child Behavior Problems Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities July 1, 2013
- Mindfulness-Based Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents: Direct and Long-Term Improvements Mindfulness October 5, 2017
- The use of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for breast cancer patients-meta-analysis. BMC Psychology November 1, 2024
- Effects of an online mindfulness-based program for parents of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a pilot, mixed methods study Frontiers in Psychiatry April 24, 2024
and 14 more in the library