Differential reduction of psychological distress by three different types of meditation-based mental training programs: A randomized clinical trial.
Christian Liebmann, Annika C Konrad, Tania Singer, Philipp Kanske
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP May 14, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100388 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort study with machine learning analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 332 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Duration | 3-month training cohorts |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Machine learning Psychological distress Mental training Mindfulness-meditation |
| Key findings | Machine learning classifiers distinguished the distress-change profiles of the Presence and Affect training cohorts, and of the Affect and Perspective cohorts, significantly above chance, but did not distinguish any training cohort from retest controls. The authors conclude that the modules produced specific rather than shared distress-alleviation effects, which could support matching meditation-based interventions to specific distress patterns. |
Abstract
Objective: There is little knowledge about which types of meditation-based training are effective for alleviating which facets of psychological distress. We investigated shared and specific effects of three meditation-based training programs on distress.
Method: 332 healthy adults were assigned to a retest control cohort or to one of three 3-month mental training cohorts including: the cultivation of mindfulness-based attention (Presence), socio-affective skills such as compassion (Affect), or metacognitive skills such as perspective taking (Perspective). A battery of 68 self-reported distress measures was collected. Data were analyzed using machine learning methods, identifying the cohort allocation based on distress change scores.
Results: Supporting only specific and not shared alleviation effects, the classifiers identified significantly above chance Presence from Affect and Affect from Perspective, but they did not identify the training cohorts from the retest cohorts.
Conclusions: The classifiers revealed stable module-associated distress change profiles, which could help to precisely choose meditation-based interventions to target individuals' specific distress patterns.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators The Journal of Positive Psychology April 11, 2012
- Specific reduction in cortisol stress reactivity after social but not attention-based mental training Science Advances October 4, 2017
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. Industrial Psychiatry Journal October 29, 2024
- Not all types of meditation are the same: Mediators of change in mindfulness and compassion meditation interventions. Journal of Affective Disorders February 2, 2021
- Positive Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health of Female Teachers during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health September 1, 2020
and 13 more in the library