A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy Intervention on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
Xinmin Jiang, Minghui Zhang, Jiaqi Wang, Jing Wang, Yu Zhang
Cureus October 1, 2025 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.95793 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn people with post-traumatic stress disorder, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) lowers depression and PTSD symptoms while improving quality of life and mindfulness. A meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials with 832 participants found that depression scores were significantly lower after MBSR compared to control conditions. Quality of life and mindfulness scores were significantly higher, and PTSD symptoms, various PTSD checklist scores, and clinician-administered PTSD scale scores were significantly reduced following MBSR. The analysis suggests MBSR is an effective intervention for reducing PTSD-related distress and enhancing well-being.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 832 |
| Population | PTSD patients |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Meta‐analysis Mindfulness‐based stress reduction Post‐traumatic stress disorder Randomized controlled tria |
| Key finding | MBSR significantly reduces depression and PTSD symptoms and improves quality of life and mindfulness in PTSD patients. |
Abstract
This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the treatment and improvement of traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Up until February 6, 2025, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of MBSR-based treatment for PTSD patients. RevMan 5.4 software (The Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK) was used to conduct a meta-analysis of these trials. A total of 832 participants from nine qualified randomized controlled trials were enrolled. Meta-analysis results showed that in PTSD patients, depression scores after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention were significantly lower compared with the control group (Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) = -0.25, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.10; P = 0.0006). Quality of life (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI 0.10-0.70; P = 0.008) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (SMD = 0.41, 95% CI 0.24-0.57; P < 0.00001) scores were significantly higher than in the control group. PTSD symptoms (SMD = -0.20, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.09; P = 0.0003), various PTSD checklist scores (SMD = -1.28, 95% CI -0.33 to -0.03; P = 0.02), and clinician-administered PTSD scale scores (SMD = -0.23, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.07; P = 0.004) were also significantly reduced following MBSR intervention. MBSR can reduce depression, PTSD symptoms, and improve the quality of life and mindfulness in PTSD patients.