The effect of mindfulness interventions on stress in medical students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Edie L Sperling, Jennifer M Hulett, Leeanne B Sherwin, Sarah Thompson, B Ann Bettencourt
PLoS One 2023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286387 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,199 |
| Population | Medical students aged 18 and older globally |
| Intervention | mindfulness interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 38 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness interventions significantly improved stress among medical students, with small-to-moderate effect sizes in both two-arm and one-arm pre-post studies. |
Abstract
Medical students have high levels of stress, which is associated with higher incidents of burnout, depression, and suicide compared to age-matched peers. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce stress among medical students. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine if mindfulness interventions have an overall effect on stress outcomes in the high-stress population of medical students globally, particularly given the wide variety of interventions. Any intervention designed to promote mindfulness was included. A comprehensive literature search was completed to include multiple databases, ancestry, and hand-searching and 35 studies were included. Standardized mean difference effect sizes (ES) were synthesized across studies using a random-effects model for changes in stress levels in medical students ≥ 18. Moderator analyses were performed to explore variations in effects by participant and intervention characteristics. Mindfulness interventions significantly improved stress among medical students in both the two-arm studies (d = 0.370, k = 19, n = 2,199, 95% CI 0.239-0.501, p < .001) and one-arm pre-post studies (d = 0.291, k = 30, n = 18 (two cohorts from Dyrbye et al), 95% CI 0.127-0.455, p = 0.001). Moderator analyses found trends in less hours and less required practice resulted in better improvement in stress. This study further confirms that despite a wide variety of mindfulness interventions for medical students around the world, they produce an overall small-to-moderate effect on stress reduction. Future research looking at the most effective protocols for high-stress medical students would be beneficial.
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 10
- Mindfulness training in medical education as a means to improve resilience, empathy, and mental health in the medical profession. World Journal of Psychiatry April 19, 2024
- Developing a mindfulness program for pre-clinical medical students in Indonesia: a mixed-methods study on suitability and appropriateness. BMC Medical Education July 17, 2025
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Psychological Stress in Medical Students: A Systematic Review Healthcare July 2, 2026
- Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Achievement Goal Orientations in Teacher Education Uluslararası Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi November 29, 2025
- Targeted mindfulness and self-compassion improve long-term stress reduction in distance learning students: a randomized trial. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 18
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Teaching and Learning in Medicine April 1, 2003
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- Mindfulness interventions in medical education: A systematic review of their impact on medical student stress, depression, fatigue and burnout Medical Teacher November 7, 2017
- The importance of formal versus informal mindfulness practice for enhancing psychological wellbeing and study engagement in a medical student cohort with a 5-week mindfulness-based lifestyle program. PLoS One 2021
- The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on immunity-related biomarkers: a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review March 2022
and 13 more in the library