iRest™ Meditation Webinar Series Addresses Depression Symptoms in Older Adults
Oteja Lightheart, Helané Wahbeh
OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine January 7, 2026 DOI: 10.21926/obm.icm.2601004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-participant prospective design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Older adults with depressive symptoms |
| Intervention | Meditation webinar series |
| Duration | 4-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation Depression |
| Keywords | Psychological intervention Depression economics Compassion Depressive symptoms Mental health Clinical psychology Guided imagery Medline Quality philosophy |
| Key points | Significant improvements were observed in depressive symptoms, pain, sleep quality, well-being, and compassion after a four-week online meditation webinar series. |
Abstract
Older adults in the U.S. have higher rates of depression, stress, and chronic diseases. There is an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance overall health and well-being. Meditation presents an appealing therapeutic option due to its cost-effectiveness, minimal risks, ease of use, and active patient involvement, with growing evidence indicating its effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms. Online platforms may provide more accessible options for meditation interventions. Using a within-participant prospective design, this study aims to evaluate a webinar series of four weekly one-hour meditation videos designed for older adults with depressive symptoms for its feasibility of use and effectiveness in improving symptoms of depression, pain, quality of sleep, well-being, and capacity for compassion in older adults. Of the 288 people interested in participating, 138 qualified for the study, and 42 completed the four-week intervention, representing 32.6% of those eligible. Despite strong interest, only one-third completed all program activities. Significant improvements were observed in self-reported depressive symptoms (p ≤ 0.000), pain (p ≤ 0.02), sleep quality (p ≤ 0.000), well-being (p ≤ 0.000), and compassion (p ≤ 0.000). The study highlights promising results of the online webinar series in improving depression symptoms in older adults, offering an easily accessible solution with the potential to improve well-being, longevity, and quality of life. However, further research is needed to comprehensively assess the intervention's impact and address participant recruitment, retention, and support challenges. In particular, future studies need to address motivation barriers in participants experiencing depressive symptoms and technical skills requirements for older populations.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Residually depressed patients and nondepressed controls; recovered depressed patients | 2002 | Observational cohort with intervention components | |
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 59 |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Why could meditation practice help promote mental health and well-being in aging? Alzheimer's Research & Therapy June 22, 2018
- Effect of an 18-Month Meditation Training on Regional Brain Volume and Perfusion in Older Adults JAMA Neurology October 10, 2022
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of mindfulness-based stress reduction for arterial hypertension. Journal of Human Hypertension March 2023
- iRest Meditation for Older Adults with Depression Symptoms: 6-Month and 1-Year Follow-up International Journal of Yoga Therapy November 1, 2019
and 4 more in the library