Researching U.S. Urban Murder Rates and Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Program: Evaluation of a Prospective Quasi-Experiment
Kenneth L. Cavanaugh, Michael C. Dillbeck
Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute September 1, 2017 DOI: 10.66743/sknd3212 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 206 |
| Population | Large U.S. urban areas |
| Interventions | Transcendental Meditation TM-Sidhi program |
| Duration | 4-year intervention, 2007-2010 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program was associated with a 28.4% reduction in the urban homicide rate trend during the intervention period. |
Abstract
Creation of a sustainable society ideally should include promotion of an enhanced overall quality of life, including freedom from crime, violence, and other key indicators of social stress. This study is part of a comprehensive empirical evaluation of the results of a prospective four-year quasi-experiment that sought to reduce rates of homicide and violent crime as well as to improve other measures of the U.S. quality of life and public health. The current research tests the hypothesis that group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program by a group of theoretically predicted size would be sufficient to reduce collective stress in the larger population, as reflected in decreased rates of homicide in a sample of 206 large U.S. urban areas. Time series regression analysis of monthly data for 2002–2010 using a broken trend intervention model found significant reductions in trend for the urban homicide rate during the 2007–2010 intervention period. Controlling for pre-intervention trends, seasonality, and autocorrelation, the estimated total reduction in homicide rate was 28.4% (7.1% annually). The practical significance of these findings is also indicated by an estimated 4,136 murders averted by the reduced trend in murder rate during the intervention. Diagnostic tests are satisfactory and indicate that the results are unlikely due to “spurious regression.” The mechanism for these macro-social effects is discussed in the light of possible alternative hypotheses.
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
Cites 7
- The Effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field Journal of Conflict Resolution December 1, 1990
- Fundamental awareness: A framework for integrating science, philosophy and metaphysics. Communicative & Integrative Biology 2016
- The maharishi effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in merseyside metropolitan area Psychology Crime and Law July 1, 1996
- Panpsychism in the West September 15, 2017
- Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® Program and Reductions in Infant Mortality and Drug-Related Death Sage Open 2017
and 2 more in the library