Therapeutic Effects of Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Chronic Symptoms of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Rebecca L. Acabchuk, Julie M. Brisson, Crystal L. Park, Noah Babbott-Bryan, Olivia A Parmelee, Blair T. Johnson
Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being November 2, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12244 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA meta-analysis of 20 studies (539 participants) found that meditation, yoga, and mindfulness-based interventions improved overall symptoms in people with chronic symptoms from mild traumatic brain injury compared to controls (d = 0.41). Within-group improvements were seen in mental health, physical health, cognitive performance, quality of life, and self-related processing. Fatigue and depression showed the largest improvements. The authors note that the findings are promising but highlight the need for more rigorous trials with randomization, blinding, and adverse event recording.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 539 |
| Population | People with chronic symptoms from mild traumatic brain injury acquired by mechanical force |
| Interventions | meditation yoga mindfulness-based interventions |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Meditation, yoga, and mindfulness-based interventions significantly improved overall symptoms compared to controls (d = 0.41). |
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) vary greatly and are difficult to treat; we investigate the impact of meditation, yoga, and mindfulness-based interventions on this treatment group. METHOD Search included four databases, allowing studies of any design containing pre/post outcomes for meditation, yoga, or mindfulness-based interventions in people suffering from brain injury acquired by mechanical force. Analyses used robust variance estimation to assess overall effects and random-effects models for selected outcomes; we evaluated both between- and within-group changes. RESULTS Twenty studies (N = 539) were included. Results revealed significant improvement of overall symptoms compared to controls (d = 0.41; 95% CI [0.04, 0.77]; τ2 = 0.06), with significant within-group improvements in mental health (d = 0.39), physical health (d = 0.39), cognitive performance (d = 0.24), quality of life (d = 0.39), and self-related processing (d = 0.38). Symptoms showing greatest improvement were fatigue (d = 0.96) and depression (d = 0.40). Findings were homogeneous across studies. Study quality concerns include lack of randomisation, blinding, and recording of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS This first-ever meta-analysis on meditation, yoga, and mindfulness-based interventions for chronic symptoms of mTBI offers hope but highlights the need for rigorous new trials to advance clinical applications and to explore mechanistic pathways.