Intervention Fidelity in Mindfulness-Based Research and Practice: Overview of the Special Collection and State of the Field.
Frederick M Hecht, Rebecca S. Crane
Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health 2025 DOI: 10.1177/27536130251349453 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Programs |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mbi:tac Mbp Adherence Competence Intervention integrity Mindfulness-based interventions Mindfulness-based programs Teacher skill Teaching assessment criteria Intervention fidelity |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Assessing and ensuring fidelity of Mindfulness-Based Program delivery is at a germinal stage, and without coordinated approaches, dissemination and implementation could be compromised by variable teaching skill and adherence to program form. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-Based Programs (MBPs) are increasingly being introduced into a range of mainstream contexts such as health care, education, criminal justice, workplace, community settings, and leadership. MBPs are available in some form in every continent, and in some countries have become established as part of standard care in publicly funded health care systems and routinely embedded into school curriculums. Efficacy and effectiveness research demonstrate gold standard evidence in some areas and significant promise in others, and cost-effectiveness evaluations are encouraging. However, understanding how to assess and ensure the fidelity of program delivery is at a germinal stage. Without clear, robust, and coordinated approaches to this issue within the international field, ongoing dissemination and implementation could be compromised by variable standards of teaching skill and adherence to program form. These issues are relevant in practice contexts where approaches to teacher training internationally need to adhere to commonly held principles, understandings, and standards. They are also relevant in research contexts where assessment of intervention fidelity needs to ensure that the variable of the teaching process and curriculum is addressed in the research design and conveyed to readers in the presentation of data. In this special collection, we bring together articles reporting on research and practice on MBP intervention fidelity in teacher training, implementation, and development of governance for the emerging mindfulness-based field. This paper introduces the special collection, summarizes the papers included, and offers an analysis of where we are now as a field and of what steps are needed to further our understanding on these issues. We hope to share current best practice and catalyse new understandings and directions of inquiry that will provide a compass to navigate forward and benefit this promising field.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 28
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Mindfulness: diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins, and multiple applications at the intersection of science and dharma Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Competence in Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses: Concepts, Development and Assessment Mindfulness September 21, 2011
and 23 more in the library