Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the treatment of current depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis
Simon B. Goldberg, Raymond P. Tucker, Preston A. Greene, Richard J. Davidson, David J. Kearney, Tracy L. Simpson
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy February 8, 2019 DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2018.1556330 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,046 |
| Population | Adult patients with current depressive symptoms |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Meta-analysis Randomized controlled trial Depressive symptoms Confidence interval Cognition Clinical psychology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 174 |
| Key findings | MBCT was superior to non-specific controls but not to other active therapies for reducing current depressive symptoms at post-treatment, with limited evidence for long-term effects. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) appears to be a promising intervention for the prevention of relapse in major depressive disorder, but its efficacy in patients with current depressive symptoms is less clear. Randomized clinical trials of MBCT for adult patients with current depressive symptoms were included (k = 13, N = 1046). Comparison conditions were coded based on whether they were intended to be therapeutic (specific active controls) or not (non-specific controls). MBCT was superior to non-specific controls at post-treatment (k = 10, d = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.47, 0.96]), although not at longest follow-up (k = 2, d = 1.47, [−0.71, 3.65], mean follow-up = 5.70 months across all studies with follow-up). MBCT did not differ from other active therapies at post-treatment (k = 6, d = 0.002, [−0.43, 0.44]) and longest follow-up (k = 4, d = 0.26, [−0.24, 0.75]). There was some evidence that studies with higher methodological quality showed smaller effects at post-treatment, but no evidence that effects varied by inclusion criterion. The impact of publication bias appeared minimal. MBCT seems to be efficacious for samples with current depressive symptoms at post-treatment, although a limited number of studies tested the long-term effects of this therapy.
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 74
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- Testing the Efficacy of a Multicomponent, Self-Guided, Smartphone-Based Meditation App: Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Mental Health November 27, 2020
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review. Brain Sciences September 30, 2024
- Emotion Regulation as a Mechanism of Mindfulness in Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Disorders. Depression and Anxiety 2024
- Differentiating mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy clinically: the why, how, and what of evidence-based practice. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
and 69 more in the library
Cites 22
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
and 17 more in the library