Systematic Review for the Medical Applications of Meditation in Randomized Controlled Trials.
Do-Young Kim, Soo-Hwa Hong, Seung-Hyeon Jang, So-Hyeon Park, Jung-Hee Noh, Jung-Mi Seok, Hyun-Jeong Jo, Chang-Gue Son, Eun-Jung Lee
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health January 22, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031244 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10,139 |
| Population | Patient-participants with 45 kinds of disorders, most frequently cancer, musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, and affective mood disorder |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Rct Fatigue Sleep |
| Key findings | Among 104 RCTs, positive outcomes were most frequent for sleep (73.9%) and fatigue (68.4%). |
Abstract
Meditation has been increasingly adapted for healthy populations and participants with diseases. Its beneficial effects are still challenging to determine due to the heterogeneity and methodological obstacles regarding medical applications. This study aimed to integrate the features of therapeutic meditation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We conducted a systematic review of RCTs with meditation for populations with diseases using the PubMed database through June 2021. We analyzed the characteristics of the diseases/disorders, participants, measurements, and their overall benefits. Among a total of 4855 references, 104 RCTs were determined and mainly applied mindfulness-based (51 RCTs), yoga-based (32 RCTs), and transcendental meditation (14 RCTs) to 10,139 patient-participants. These RCTs were conducted for participants with a total of 45 kinds of disorders; the most frequent being cancer, followed by musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases and affective mood disorder. Seven symptoms or signs were frequently assessed: depressive mood, feeling anxious, quality of life, stress, sleep, pain, and fatigue. The RCTs showed a higher ratio of positive outcomes for sleep (73.9%) and fatigue (68.4%). This systematic review produced the comprehensive features of RCTs for therapeutic meditation. These results will help physicians and researchers further study clinical adaptations in the future as reference data.
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 8
- The influence of mindfulness meditation combined with progressive muscle relaxation training on the clinical efficacy and quality of life of patients with sarcopenia receiving haemodialysis: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies May 17, 2024
- ENIGMA-Meditation: Worldwide Consortium for Neuroscientific Investigations of Meditation Practices. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Emotional indicators of university students: a quasi-experimental pilot study with Hatha-Yoga. Revista latino-americana de enfermagem 2025
- Exploring the therapeutic convergence of meditation, psychedelics, and MDMA Journal of Psychedelic Studies April 17, 2025
- Mindfulness Meditation: Building Interreligious Understanding and Harmony in Indonesia Journal of Social Innovation and Knowledge June 20, 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 65
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances JAMA Internal Medicine February 16, 2015
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing relapse in recurrent depression: A randomized dismantling trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology December 3, 2013
and 60 more in the library