Three-Year Follow-up and Clinical Implications of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Intervention in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
John M. Miller, Ken Fletcher, Jon Kabat‐zinn
International Journal of Yoga Therapy 1998 DOI: 10.17761/ijyt.8.1.f5654n6515513127 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal follow-up of a single-group cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Medical patients with DSM-III-R-defined anxiety disorders |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 3-year follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based stress reduction Beck anxiety inventory Intervention counseling Clinical psychology Depression economics Cohort Beck depression inventory Physical therapy |
| Citations | 81 |
| Key findings | Gains in anxiety and depression scores were maintained at 3-year follow-up, and ongoing meditation practice was common. |
Abstract
A previous study of 22 medical patients with DSM-III-R-defined anxiety disorders showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in subjective and objective symptoms of anxiety and panic following an 8-week outpatient physician-referred group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation. Twenty subjects demonstrated significant reductions in Hamilton and Beck Anxiety and Depression scores post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. In this study, 3-year follow-up data were obtained and analyzed on 18 of the original 22 subjects to probe long-term effects. Repeated measures analysis showed maintenance of the gains obtained in the original study on the Hamilton {F(2,32)= 13.22; p < 0.001} and Beck {F(2,32) = 9.83; p<0.001} anxiety scales as well as on their respective depression scalgs, on the Hamilton panic score, in the number and severity of panic attacks, and on the Mobility Index—Accompanied and the Fear Survey. A 3-year follow-up comparison of this cohort with a larger group of subjects from the intervention who had met criteria for scredning for the original study suggests generalizability of the results obtained with the smaller, more intensively studied cohort. Ongoing compliance with the meditation practice was also demonstrated in the majority of subjects at 3 years. We conclude that an intensive but time-limited group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation can have long-term beneficial effects in the treatment of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Patterning of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of Meditation versus Exercise Regular practitioners of physical exercise or meditation | 1978 | Retrospective study | n = 77 |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 42
- Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness training for coping with hot flashes Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society March 4, 2011
- Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Journal of Addiction Medicine May 4, 2008
- Medical Yoga Therapy Children February 10, 2017
and 37 more in the library
Cites 7
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- Four-Year Follow-Up of a Meditation-Based Program for the Self-Regulation of Chronic Pain Clinical Journal of Pain 1986
- Meditation and psychotherapy: a rationale for the integration of dynamic psychotherapy, the relaxation response, and mindfulness meditation American Journal of Psychiatry 1985
- How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) training help? Behaviour Research and Therapy 1995
- The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience 1991
and 2 more in the library