Beyond fight or flight: The protective role of pre-pandemic meditation practice against anxiety and perceived stress.
Bárbara Monteiro, Ana Galhardo, Hugo Senra, José Pinto-Gouveia, Marina Cunha
Stress and Health October 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3440 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 238 |
| Population | Portuguese adults, some with prior meditation experience |
| Intervention | meditation practice |
| Duration | April 2020 to January 2021 (four time points) |
| Topics | Meditation Anxiety |
| Keywords | Covid‐19 Anxiety symptoms Compassion Linear mixed models Perceived stress |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Non-meditators showed a greater increase in anxiety symptoms and perceived stress over time during lockdown, whereas meditators showed non-significant variations in both. |
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic generated distinct mental health challenges, characterised by stress and anxiety due to its unpredictable duration and continuous threat. This study examined the role of meditation practice on anxiety symptoms and perceived stress, considering co-variables such as self-compassion, acceptance, awareness, brooding, lockdown duration, and sociodemographic characteristics. The study used a longitudinal design and data were collected through online surveys from April 2020 to January 2021 (at four different time points) and included 238 participants from Portugal (165 had prior experience with meditation practices, 73 were non-meditators) with a mean age of 43.08 years (SD = 10.96). Linear mixed models revealed that over time, during the lockdown, the non-meditators group demonstrated a greater increase of anxiety symptoms (β = -0.226, SE = 0.06, p = 0.006) and perceived stress (β = -0.20, SE = 0.06, p = 0.004), whereas the meditators group showed non-significant (p > 0.05) variations in anxiety and stress symptoms during the same period of time. The effect of meditation on anxiety symptoms was moderated by sex, days of lockdown, self-compassion, and acceptance. The effect of meditation on perceived stress was moderated by sex, years of education, days of lockdown, and levels of awareness. Additionally, the study explored the potential predictive effect of different meditation session lengths, indicating that longer meditation practices offered greater protection against an increase in anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of cultivating self-regulation skills and investing in preventive mental health strategies to promote well-being and autonomy. Mental health professionals should prioritise educating communities on evidence-based practices like meditation and compassion exercises to enhance overall health.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Patterning of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of Meditation versus Exercise Regular practitioners of physical exercise or meditation | 1978 | Retrospective study | n = 77 |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
- A Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development Mindfulness April 13, 2023
- Defining Meditation: Foundations for an Activity-Based Phenomenological Classification System. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- Large effects of brief meditation intervention on EEG spectra in meditation novices IBRO Reports October 27, 2020
and 8 more in the library