The Comparison of Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Group Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation Group Therapy Added Self-Compassion Meditation for the Female Patients Suffering from Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
Y. Park, Jung-Ho Kim, Mirihae Kim
Stress December 31, 2019 DOI: 10.17547/kjsr.2019.27.4.412 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Chronic musculoskeletal pain patients |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Compassion meditation |
| Dose | 7 weekly sessions of 90 minutes each; compassion group received an additional 20 minutes per session |
| Duration | 7-week intervention with follow-up |
| Measures | Visual Analog Scale (VAS), WHOQOL-BRIF, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y (STAI-Y), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-16 (AAQ-16), Experiences Questionnaire (EQ), Life Satisfaction Expectancy scales (LSES) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Adding compassion meditation to mindfulness meditation produced statistically significant improvements in all measured outcomes, whereas mindfulness meditation alone improved only pain, depression, and state anxiety. |
Abstract
Background: Choric Musculoskeletal pain patients suffer from emotional distress such as depression and anxiety and also experience much more discomfort in their lives. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a Mindfulness meditation group therapy and Mindfulness meditation group therapy added Compassion meditation on pain, quality of life, and psychological features in Chronic Musculoskeletal pain patients.
Methods: 20 participants received 7 weekly sessions in mindfulness meditation training program, which take about 90 minutes each. Only Compassion Meditation group received 20 minutes added program. Measures included Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Quality of life (WHOQOL-BRIF), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y (STAI-Y), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-16 (AAQ-16), Experiences Questionnaire (EQ), Life Satisfaction Expectancy scales (LSES). All the variables were measured at three time points: pre, post, and follow up implementation.
Results: The t-test results of the participants before and after the Mindfulness Meditation group showed statistically significant improvement in their Pain (t=2.64, p<.05), Depression (t=5.579, p<.05), and State Anxiety (t=2.223, p<.05), but not in another positive psychological features. Added Compassion Meditation group showed statistically significant improvement all of measures (Pain: t=3.180, p<.01, Quality of life: t=4.781, p<.01, Depression: t=2.208, p<.01, State Anxiety: t=3.838, p<.01, Trait Anxiety: t=3.208, p<.01, Acceptance: t=−2.635, p<.05, Experience: t=−3.041, p<.01, Life satisfaction: t=−2.23, p<.05). The follow-up implementation showed the persistence of beneficial changes.
Conclusions: Added compassion meditation is more effective than mindfulness meditation for chronic musculoskeletal pain. There are greater benefits for alleviating pain, improving quality of life and other psychological features that can be gained from performing added compassion meditation rather than doing mindfulness meditation solely.
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
Cites 9
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Loving‐Kindness Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study Journal of Traumatic Stress July 25, 2013
- Compassion and Loving-Kindness Meditation: An Overview and Prospects for the Application in Clinical Samples Harvard Review of Psychiatry July 1, 2018
- Pilot study of a compassion meditation intervention in chronic pain Journal of Compassionate Health Care October 8, 2014
- Compassionate hearts protect against wandering minds: Self-compassion moderates the effect of mind-wandering on depression. Spirituality in Clinical Practice August 2, 2018
and 4 more in the library