Effects of Online Versus In-Person Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): The Impact of Adding Brief Individual Interviews
Yasushi Ito, Cheryl A. Browne, Kazumi Yamamoto
Mindfulness May 12, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-026-02865-z (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective comparative study Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 506 |
| Population | Japanese community adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week program |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based stress reduction Protocol science Stress management Public health Computer-assisted web interviewing Repeated measures design Clinical psychology |
| Key points | Online MBSR augmented with brief individual interviews was non-inferior to in-person delivery across all psychological well-being outcomes. |
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the transition of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from in-person to online delivery. However, the impact of this transition on participants’ characteristics, adherence, and outcomes in community-based MBSR programs has not been adequately examined. The present study retrospectively compared the effects on psychological well-being outcome measures of in-person delivery and online delivery without and with added individual interviews. A total of 506 Japanese participants completed validated questionnaires before and after participating in an 8-week community-based MBSR program delivered either in person (IP; n = 156) or online. Online participants attended the program either without brief individual interviews (OL-NoInt; n = 147) or in later cohorts with such interviews added to the protocol (OL-Int; n = 203). The questionnaires assessed three outcomes related to psychological well-being (PWB)—mood states, health-related quality of life, and perceived stress—and two presumed mediators of MBSR’s effects on PWB: mindfulness and self-compassion. Significant pre–post improvements were observed across all outcome measures in all three groups. Compared with IP, OL-NoInt demonstrated 32.3–62.0% smaller effect sizes in PWB outcomes despite comparable improvements in mediator variables. In contrast, OL-Int showed 27.0–184.2% larger effect sizes than OL-NoInt in both the mediators and the PWB outcomes, and was shown to be non-inferior to IP across all measures. Online MBSR may be as effective as in-person delivery when the program is augmented with brief individual interviews. Findings underscore the crucial role of instructor factors in facilitating effective MBSR online delivery. This study is not preregistered.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 20
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- An empirical study of the mechanisms of mindfulness in a mindfulness‐based stress reduction program Journal of Clinical Psychology March 6, 2009
- The Contribution of Common and Specific Therapeutic Factors to Mindfulness-Based Intervention Outcomes Frontiers in Psychology January 14, 2021
- Mental and Physical Health Impacts of Mindfulness Training for College Undergraduates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Mindfulness September 1, 2023
- Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a Self-Selecting and Self-Paying Community Setting Mindfulness December 18, 2017
and 15 more in the library