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Transcendental Meditation Program and Marital Adjustment

Elaine N. Aron, Arthur Aron

Psychological Reports December 1, 1982 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1982.51.3.887 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 34
Population Married women
Intervention Transcendental Meditation program
Topics Meditation
Key findings Women who practiced the Transcendental Meditation program reported significantly greater marital satisfaction than matched controls.

Abstract

17 married women who had received instruction in the Transcendental Meditation program were compared to 17 controls (matched for length of marriage, age, and neighborhood) on Locke's Marital Adjustment Inventory. Interviewees did not know the study was related to meditation or that they were contacted because they were meditators. Subjects in the Transcendental Meditation group showed significantly greater marital satisfaction than controls: for only those reporting regular practice the effect was stronger. The Transcendental Meditation program may be preventive of marital discord.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students 2006 Observational cohort
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
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls 2005 Observational cohort n = 20
Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls 2011 Observational cohort
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls 2004 Observational cohort

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