Short-Term Meditation Training Fosters Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: A Pilot Study.
Teresa Fazia, Francesco Bubbico, Ioannis Iliakis, Gerardo Salvato, Giovanni Berzuini, Salvatore Bruno, Luisa Bernardinelli
Frontiers in Psychology October 26, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.558803 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | One-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study Randomized Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 41 |
| Population | General population adults (17 men and 24 women, mean age 41.1 years); 24 had prior meditation experience, 12 of them continuative |
| Interventions | Integral Meditation lectures on neuroscience of meditation |
| Dose | 12 practical 1-h sessions of meditation |
| Duration | 12 sessions; questionnaires at baseline and immediately after the last session |
| Measures | Core Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | General population Core-om Ffmq Erq Dses Short-meditation training |
| Key findings | The combined meditation-and-lecture intervention was associated with significantly higher mindfulness (FFMQ total, acting with awareness, non-judging) and cognitive reappraisal (ERQ), while CORE-OM improvements approached but did not reach statistical significance. The authors present these as promising preliminary within-subject results and caution that the small sample, lack of a randomized control group, and self-report measures limit conclusions. |
Abstract
The practice of meditation has been historically linked to beneficial effects, not only in terms of spirituality but also in terms of well-being, general improvement of psychophysiological conditions and quality of life. The present study aims to assess the beneficial effects of a short-term intervention (a combination of 12 practical 1-h sessions of meditation, called Integral Meditation, and lectures on neuroscience of meditation) on psychological indicators of well-being in subjects from the general population. We used a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, in which all participants (n = 41, 17 men and 24 women, with a mean age of 41.1 years) underwent the same intervention. Out of these, 24 had already experienced meditation practice, but only 12 in a continuative way. Effects were assessed by the standardized Italian version of three self-report questionnaires: Core Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). The questionnaires were filled in at baseline and immediately after the last meditation session. Linear mixed effect models were used to evaluate pre-post treatment changes on each outcome. Participants showed a general, close to a statistically significant threshold, improvement in the total score of CORE-OM and its different domains. The total score of FFMQ (β = 0.154, p = 0.012) indicates a statistically significant increase in the level of mindfulness as well as in the domains acting with awareness (β = 0.212, p = 0.024), and non-judging of inner experiences (β = 0.384, p < 0.0001). Lastly, we observed a statistically significant improvement in the cognitive reappraisal ERQ domain (β = 0.541, p = 0.0003). Despite some limitations (i.e., small sample size, lack of a randomised control group and sole use of "soft" measurements, such as self-report questionnaires), this study offers promising results regarding the within-subject effectiveness of our intervention that includes a meditation practice on psychological indicators, thus providing interesting preliminary results.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Improving stress management, anxiety, and mental well-being in medical students through an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention: a randomized study. Scientific Reports May 22, 2023
- Personality traits, mindfulness, and perceived stress in Chinese adults: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach Frontiers in Psychology January 3, 2025
- Barriers and Facilitators to Meditation: Empirical Research Qualitative OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine June 23, 2025
- A Unifying Framework of Meditation Techniques Mindfulness February 1, 2026
- Potensi Keuntungan Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction terhadap Kecemasan saat Pandemi Covid-19 pada Orang Dewasa Malahayati Nursing Journal August 1, 2023
and 8 more in the library
Cites 25
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
and 20 more in the library