Underestimating harm in mindfulness-based stress reduction
Nicholas T. van Dam, Julieta Galante
Psychological Medicine December 7, 2020 DOI: 10.1017/s003329172000447x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary or critique Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Content measure theory Harm reduction Mindfulness-based stress reduction Action physics Stress linguistics Applied psychology Clinical psychology Public health Nursing |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key points | Argues that the methods used in a recent study on harm following MBSR have potentially serious limitations that undermine confidence in the authors' conclusions. |
Abstract
In a recent study of harm following the completion of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs, the authors used a large observational dataset (n = 2155), alongside the active arm (n = 156) and wait-list arm (n = 118) of several amalgamated randomized controlled trials The authors interpret their results as 'strong evidence that MBSR is no more harmful than no treatment' (p. 8). While seemingly conclusive, we would like to point out some potentially serious limitations to the methods used that undermine confidence in the authors' conclusions.
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- A Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development Mindfulness April 13, 2023
- Incidence and Predictors of Meditation-Related Unusual Experiences and Adverse Effects in a Representative Sample of Meditators in the United States Clinical Psychological Science January 6, 2025
- Development and Validation of the Inventory of Meditation Experiences (IME) Mindfulness June 1, 2024
- Leveraging meditation research for the study of psychedelic-related adverse effects. International Review of Psychiatry December 1, 2024
- Beyond serenity: Adverse effects of meditation and mindfulness in clinical practice. Current Opinion in Psychology February 1, 2026
and 8 more in the library
Cites 5
- Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey PLoS One September 5, 2017
- Does the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire measure what we think it does? Construct validity evidence from an active controlled randomized clinical trial. Psychological Assessment October 13, 2015
- Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation‐based therapies: a systematic review Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica August 21, 2020
- Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations PLoS One May 9, 2019
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving health, quality of life and social functioning in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis 2017