Anxiety Reduction Associated with Meditation: Home Study
Herbert B. Puryear, Charles Thomas Cayce, Mark A. Thurston
Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1976 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1976.43.2.527 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 159 |
| Population | A.R.E. members |
| Intervention | customary meditational techniques |
| Duration | 28 days |
| Measures | IPAT Anxiety Scale (Self-analysis Form), Mooney Problem Check List, Adult Form |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Participants who learned a new meditation technique via a home-study workbook reported a highly significant reduction in IPAT Anxiety Scale scores after 28 days, unlike those who continued their customary meditation. No significant changes appeared on the Mooney Problem Check List for either group. |
Abstract
The effects of a new meditation technique were investigated; 159 A.R.E. members were randomly assigned either to a treatment or control group with the former learning the new technique using a home-study workbook manual and the latter continuing their customary meditational techniques. Analysis of variance (repeated measures) was used to compare group means of the scale scores yielded by two instruments, the IPAT Anxiety Scale (Self-analysis Form) and the Mooney Problem Check List, Adult Form (Mooney & Gordon, 1950). Unlike the control group, the treatment group reported highly significant reduction on the IPAT Anxiety Scale scores after 28 days of meditating with the new approach but no significant differences were found on the check list variables for either the treatment or control group. Implications of the findings for mental health professionals (psychiatrists, clinical and counseling psychologists) are briefly discussed.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.