Does mindfulness meditation contribute to health? Outcome evaluation of a German sample.
Marcus Majumdar, Paul Grossman, Barbara Dietz-Waschkowski, Susanne Kersig, Harald Walach
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine December 2002 DOI: 10.1089/10755530260511720 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal pretest-posttest with 3-month follow-up Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21 |
| Population | German adults with chronic physical, psychological, or psychosomatic illnesses |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 3-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The program produced high adherence and satisfaction, with effective and lasting reductions in symptoms (especially psychological distress) and improvements in well-being and quality of life, showing moderate-to-large effect sizes and positive complementary effects with psychotherapy. |
Abstract
This exploratory study is the first systematic outcome evaluation to examine the effects of an 8-week meditation-based program in mindfulness in a German sample. Twenty-one (21) participants with chronic physical, psychologic, or psychosomatic illnesses were examined in a longitudinal pretest and post-treatment design with a 3-month follow-up. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. Emotional and general physical well-being, sense of coherence, overall psychologic distress, and satisfaction with life were measured with standardized instruments. Overall, the interventions led to high levels of adherence to the meditation practice and satisfaction with the benefits of the course, as well as effective and lasting reductions of symptoms (especially in psychologic distress, well-being, and quality of life). Changes were of moderate-to-large effect sizes. Positive complementary effects with psychotherapy were also found. These findings warrant controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction as an intervention for chronic physical and psychosomatic disorders in Germany.
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
Cited by 30
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009
- How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness Stress Buffering Account Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2014
- Effect of Mindfulness‐Based stress reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients Arthritis Care & Research September 28, 2007
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: systematic review Journal of Advanced Nursing September 29, 2005
and 25 more in the library
Cites 12
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- An Exploratory Study of a Meditation-based Intervention for Binge Eating Disorder Journal of Health Psychology May 1, 1999
- Stress Reduction through Mindfulness Meditation Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics February 18, 2010
- Four-Year Follow-Up of a Meditation-Based Program for the Self-Regulation of Chronic Pain Clinical Journal of Pain 1986
- Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1989
and 7 more in the library