The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Depressive Symptoms and Their Relationship to Interoceptive Awareness: A Systematic Review.
Alpha psychiatry December 1, 2025 DOI: 10.31083/AP39860 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 646 |
| Population | Adults over 18 with depressive symptoms |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based interventions Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Mindfulness-based Cancer Recovery Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Adult Cognitive behavioural therapy |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce depressive symptoms and improve interoceptive awareness, with interoceptive awareness identified as a partial mediator of this relationship. |
Abstract
This systematic review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in treating depression, enhancing interoceptive awareness (IA), and whether IA mediates this relationship. In August 2024, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in web-based medical and psychological databases, including PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Scopus, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies were included if they were quantitative, peer-reviewed, in English, used MBIs derived from Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), or Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (MiCBT), included a control/comparison group, pre- and post-intervention measures, assessed depressive symptoms and IA in adults over 18, and had at least 20 participants. Exclusion criteria included non-English publications, dissertations, case studies, qualitative research, therapies not derived from the specified MBIs, and studies with under 20 participants or individuals under 18. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed. Six studies involving 646 participants met the inclusion criteria. All MBIs (MBCT, MBSR, MiCBT, Mindfulness-based Cancer Recovery, and Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy) significantly reduced depressive symptomology and improved IA across varying effect sizes, with IA identified as a partial mediator. MBIs appear to alleviate depressive symptoms and improve IA, with one study finding IA as a mediator. Limitations included limited literature, search term specificity, heterogeneity and mixed evidence quality. Future research should explore IA's mediating role, develop a standardised IA measure, and integrate IA into broader treatment modalities to enhance outcomes. CRD42023457300, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42023457300.