An evaluation of potential psychological barriers to meditation practice among university students
Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.36922/jcbp026040006 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMany people face psychological barriers to starting meditation, not just practical ones. A survey of 90 university students found that non-meditators reported greater perceived lack of benefit, inadequate knowledge, and pragmatic obstacles than meditators. Most participants had difficulty stopping unwanted thoughts, which was linked to punitive thought control strategies, critical inner speech, and lower perceived thought control ability. These meta-cognitive barriers may hinder adoption of meditation. Meditation programs should consider screening for thought control difficulties and providing targeted support, with implications for educational and clinical settings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 90 |
| Population | University students |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness meditation Control management Clinical practice Clinical psychology Applied psychology |
| Key finding | Non-meditators reported significantly higher perceived low benefit, inadequate knowledge, and pragmatic barriers compared to meditators, and a majority of participants reported difficulty stopping unwanted thoughts, which correlated with punitive thought control strategies, critical inner speech, and lower thought control ability. |
Abstract
Meditation is widely promoted for psychological and physical health, yet research on barriers to its practice has focused primarily on pragmatic issues. This pilot study investigates psychological barriers, specifically meta-cognitive traits, to meditation practice among university students. Participants (N = 90; 80% female; 82.2% white; 70% upper-level students) completed questionnaires assessing barriers to meditation, thought control strategies, inner speech, and thought control ability. Independent samples t-tests and Pearson correlations were used for analysis. Non-meditators reported significantly higher perceived low benefit, inadequate knowledge, and pragmatic barriers compared to meditators. Notably, a majority of participants reported difficulty in stopping unwanted thoughts, which correlated with punitive thought control strategies, critical inner speech, and lower thought control ability. These findings suggest that meta-cognitive barriers may impede the adoption of meditation by many individuals. Hence, meditation programs should consider screening for thought control difficulties and provide targeted support. These results have implications for the implementation of meditation in educational and clinical settings and complement emerging research on potential adverse effects.