The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health outcomes and wellbeing of informal caregivers of people with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Xiaofeng Zhang, Huilin Ren, Caixia Wang, Yongping Zhang, Qilun Zhou, Jianming Fan
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing August 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/inm.13295 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,007 |
| Population | Informal caregivers of people with mental illness |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Informal caregivers Mental health Mental illness Meta‐analysis |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce stress, depression, and caregiver burden, and improve mindfulness and quality of life, but not anxiety, among informal caregivers of people with mental illness. |
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of mental illness has resulted in a growing burden on informal caregivers. Mindfulness-based interventions, as a form of psychotherapy, have shown efficacy in alleviating psychological stress and enhancing emotional and physical well-being. However, the utilisation of mindfulness-based interventions for informal caregivers of individuals with mental illness remains limited. The aim of the meta-analysis is to evaluate the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the mental health and well-being among informal caregivers of people with mental illness. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across seven electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, APA PsycINFO and CINAHL Ultimate) from the inception of these databases until 20 July 2023. Two authors independently screened the studies and extracted the relevant data. The meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 12.0 software, and the effect sizes were calculated utilising standardised mean difference (SMD) along with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). The meta-analysis included 13 studies with 1007 participants, and the results demonstrated that mindfulness-based interventions were efficacious in reducing stress (SMD = -0.80, 95% CI [-1.33, -0.28], p = 0.003), depression (SMD = -0.43, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.24], p < 0.001) and caregiver burden (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI [-0.40, -0.01], p = 0.038), and enhancing the mindfulness level (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI [0.09, 0.65], P = 0.010) and quality of life (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI [0.04, 0.39], p = 0.015) among informal caregivers of people with mental illness, but not on anxiety reduction (SMD = -0.19, 95% CI [-0.49, 0.10], p = 0.198). Furthermore, future research should aim to employ more rigorous methodologies to confirm the effectiveness.
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 3
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on psychosocial well-being and occupational-related outcomes among nurses in the intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian critical care : official journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses July 1, 2025
- Toward a Unified Model of Advanced Meditation, Human Development, Meditation Maps, and Transtradition Metaphors: Facing Impermanence, Suffering, and Death Mindfulness July 29, 2025
- Strengthening the Carer Without Shifting the Burden: Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction Alongside Social Support Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing October 8, 2026
Cites 15
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Interventions for Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Meta-Analysis The Gerontologist March 2, 2018
- The effects of mindfulness-based interventions in medical students: a systematic review. Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice March 2024
- Exploring the potential of mindfulness-based therapy in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases based on molecular mechanism studies Frontiers in Neuroscience June 13, 2023
and 10 more in the library