Effects of Meditation on Anxiety and Chemical Dependency
Martin R. Wong, Nancye B. Brochin, Kay L. Gendron
Journal of Drug Education June 1, 1981 DOI: 10.2190/tw3c-qa1w-jkbf-p4xd (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with a non-instructed control group and six-month follow-up Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Chemically dependent people in an ongoing rehabilitation program |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | Training period with follow-up at six months |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Meditation instruction produced differences at the end of training that were no longer evident six months later. Participants who continued at least minimal meditation practice showed differences in social adjustment, work performance, and drug and alcohol use compared with non-practicers, and these differences were more pronounced than those for ongoing Alcoholics Anonymous members. |
Abstract
Research evidence indicates relationships between anxiety and the use of psychoactive drugs, and between the practice of meditation and lowered physiological indices of anxiety. Ex-post-facto studies of meditators indicate a negative correlation between practice of meditation and drug use. In the present study, a non-self-selected sample of chemically dependent people was instructed in the practice of meditation as part of an ongoing rehabilitation program and compared with a non-instructed control group, both at the termination of training and six months later. Differences established upon termination were no longer evident in the instructed group after six months. Subjects who reported continuing at least minimal meditative practices, however, showed differences in social adjustment, work performance, and use of drugs and alcohol when compared with non-practicers. These differences were more pronounced than those established for on-going Alcoholics Annonymous members.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience | 2013 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 15 |
| Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults | 2009 | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal | n = 69 |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |