Personal Variables Predicting Voluntary Participation in and Attrition from a Meditation Program
Stephen M. Rivers, Nicholas P. Spaños
Psychological Reports December 1, 1981 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1981.49.3.795 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 147 |
| Population | Students |
| Intervention | meditation |
| Duration | Four-session training program; 5-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Meditation volunteers scored higher on absorption than non-volunteers, but 91% stopped meditating within one month after training. Pretest self-esteem and psychosomatic symptoms predicted attrition from meditation. |
Abstract
147 students were assessed on absorption, hypnotic susceptibility, and three measures of “psychological well-being” (self-esteem, depressive affect, psychosomatic symptoms) and were then invited to participate without cost in a program to learn meditation. Those completing the four-session training program were followed for 5 mo. by phone and mail. Analysis indicated that (a) meditating volunteers scored higher on the pretest absorption measure than non-volunteers, (b) 91% of the volunteers had stopped meditating 1 mo. after training, and (c) the pretest self-esteem and psychosomatic symptoms measures predicted attrition from meditation. The implications of these findings for meditation research are discussed.
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 2
Cites 3
- Meditation as psychotherapy: A review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin 1975
- Transcendental Meditation and Psychological Health Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1974
- Psychotherapeutic effects of transcendental meditation with controls for expectation of relief and daily sitting. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1976