Transcendental Meditation for Women Affected by Domestic Violence: A Pilot Randomised, Controlled Trial
M. Leach, Heather Lorenzon
Journal of Family Violence April 19, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s10896-023-00561-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Female survivors of domestic violence from metropolitan Adelaide |
| Interventions | Transcendental Meditation group support |
| Duration | 16-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Transcendental Meditation was significantly more effective than group support at improving quality of life and reducing depression, anxiety, and stress over 16 weeks, but not PTSD symptoms. |
Abstract
Domestic and family violence is a major public health issue impacting one in three women worldwide. The implications of such violence are considerable. Transcendental Meditation® (TM) represents a promising treatment option for women impacted by domestic violence given its demonstrable effects on mental and trauma-related symptoms. This study set out to compare the effectiveness of TM to group support, on quality of life, perceived stress and mood in female survivors of domestic violence. This 16-week pilot randomised controlled trial recruited women from metropolitan Adelaide, who survived any type of domestic violence in their lifetime. Outcomes included health-related quality of life, severity of depression, anxiety and perceived stress, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and subjective experience. Data were analysed by intention-to-treat using linear mixed-effects models. Forty-two women were randomly assigned to the TM (n = 21) and support (n = 21) groups. Adjusting for random effects, TM was shown to be significantly more effective than support at improving Australian Quality of Life (AQoL-8D) utility scores (p = .011), and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) severity scores for depression (p = .029), anxiety (p = .017) and stress (p = .021) over the 16 weeks. There was no statistically significant time-group interaction effect for PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) total symptom severity scores. TM is shown to have promising effects on quality of life, perceived stress and mood among women exposed to domestic violence, suggesting that it may represent an effective alternative to group support. ACTRN12620000467932 (09/04/2020).
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Effectiveness of Meditation Techniques in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) December 12, 2024
- The impact of Transcendental Meditation on psychological distress and coping in the lives of women in Uganda: A randomized controlled trial. Health care for women international February 5, 2026
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Transcendental Meditation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) April 3, 2025
- Do Contemplative Practices Promote Trauma Recovery? A Narrative Review from 2018 to 2023. Healthcare November 7, 2025
- Test de Autoevaluación de Meditación Transcendental: a psychometric study of Peruvian school children and adolescents Revista Innova Educación July 1, 2024
Cites 12
- Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine October 9, 2013
- Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Employee Stress, Depression, and Burnout: A Randomized Controlled Study The Permanente Journal January 30, 2014
- Efficacy of Transcendental Meditation to Reduce Stress Among Health Care Workers: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open September 1, 2022
- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental Meditation as Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress February 1, 2022
- Heal the Healers: A pilot study evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and exploratory efficacy of a Transcendental Meditation intervention for emergency clinicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open December 1, 2021
and 7 more in the library