Metta-Based Therapy for Chronic Depression: a Wait List Control Trial
Ulrich Stangier, Artjom Frick, Isabel Thinnes, Elisabeth A. Arens, Stefan G Hofmann
Mindfulness October 8, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-021-01753-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Patients with DSM-5 persistent depressive disorder (chronic depression) |
| Duration | Group meditation phase, subsequent individual therapy phase, and 6-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation Depression |
| Keywords | Rumination Clinical psychology Depression economics Interpersonal psychotherapy Prosocial behavior Randomized controlled trial Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Metta-based therapy (Loving Kindness group meditation plus tailored individual therapy) produced greater improvements in depressive symptoms and related outcomes than a wait list control, with large effect sizes maintained at 6-month follow-up. |
Abstract
Objectives: Current treatments for chronic depression have focused on reducing interpersonal problems and negative affect, but paid little attention to promoting prosocial motivation and positive affect. Following this treatment focus, the objective of the present study was to examine whether the combination of metta (Loving Kindness) group meditation and subsequent tailored individual therapy focusing on kindness towards oneself and others (metta-based therapy, MBT) shows greater improvements in depressive symptoms than a wait list control group in patients with chronic depression.
Methods: Forty-eight patients with DSM-5 persistent depressive disorder were randomly assigned to MBT or a wait list control condition. Outcome was assessed after group meditation, after subsequent individual therapy, and at 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure was an independent blind rating of depressive symptoms at post-test. Secondary outcome included changes in self-reported depression, behavioral activation, rumination, social functioning, mindfulness, compassion, and clinician-rated emotion regulation.
Results: Mixed-design analyses showed significant differences between MBT and WLC in changes from pre- to post-test in clinician-rated and self-rated depression, behavioral activation, rumination, social functioning, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. Most of the changes occurred during group meditation and were associated with large effect sizes. Improvements were maintained at 6-month follow-up.
Conclusions: The results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of MBT in treating chronic depression.
Trial Registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN97264476.