Effects of Transcendental Meditation on mental health: a before-after study.
Masud Yunesian, Afshin Aslani, Javad Homayoun Vash, Abbas Bagheri Yazdi
Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH November 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1186/1745-0179-4-25 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Before-after clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult Muslim population |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | 12-week meditation course |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Transcendental Meditation may improve mental health, particularly somatisation and anxiety, in a young adult Muslim population. |
Abstract
Transcendental Meditation is a mental practice to put the body and mind into a state of relaxation and rest. The method was shown to reduce anxiety and stress in previous reports. This study investigates its potential benefits in enhancing mental health of an adult Muslim population. A before-after clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a 12-week meditation course on mental health of participants who were enrolled into the study by random sampling. 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was administered on two occasions in conjunction with a background data sheet. Mean age of participants was 32.4; they were 70% female and 55% married. GHQ scores improved significantly after the meditation course (p value: < 0.001). The difference was also significant in all subgroups of the population studied. In subclass analysis of the GHQ results, the before-after score improvement was significant only in the areas of somatisation (p value: < 0.001) and anxiety (p value: < 0.001). Transcendental Meditation may improve mental health of young adult population especially in the areas of somatisation and anxiety, and this effect seems to be independent of age, sex and marital status.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- The Effect of Meditation on Self-Reported Measures of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Perfectionism in a College Population Journal of College Student Psychotherapy March 31, 2011
- Meditation and Positive Mental Health Journal of Psychiatry and Cognitive Behaviour May 23, 2017
- Evaluating the Impact of Transcendental Meditation on Trauma Symptoms, Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Problems Among Israeli Civilians Post-October 7, 2023: A Pilot Study. Journal of Clinical Psychology June 29, 2026
- Variation of Meditation Effects in Human Brain Depending on Different Meditative Forms using Band Power Features of EEG Signal 2024 IEEE Calcutta Conference December 14, 2024
- Online guided meditation training (Isha Kriya) improves self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression within 2 weeks of practice—An observational study Frontiers in Psychiatry September 23, 2022
and 5 more in the library
Cites 6
- Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1989
- A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression British Journal of Medical Psychology June 1, 2001
- Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews January 25, 2006
- Evaluation of a Wellness-Based Mindfulness Stress Reduction intervention: a controlled trial. American Journal of Health Promotion 2001
- The physiology of meditation: a review. A wakeful hypometabolic integrated response. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 1992
and 1 more in the library