The role of mindfulness, meditation, and peer support in recovery capital among Recovery Dharma members.
Onawa LaBelle, Maurissa Hastings, Noel Vest, Matthew Meeks, Krista Lucier
Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment February 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2022.208939 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional online survey with regression analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 209 |
| Population | Recovery Dharma members recruited through the program's website, newsletter, and social media; mean age 46.68 years, 45% female, 5.7% non-binary, 26.8% LGBTQ2S+, mean time in recovery 7.45 years |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Mutual-help organization Peer recovery support |
| Key findings | Mindfulness, meditation frequency, and perceived support from Recovery Dharma each significantly predicted recovery capital when controlling for age and spirituality, with perceived support showing the strongest association. Contrary to expectations, longer time in recovery and longer average meditation sessions did not predict recovery capital, suggesting regular practice matters more than prolonged infrequent sessions. |
Abstract
Recovery Dharma (RD) is a Buddhist-based peer support program for the treatment of addiction that incorporates mindfulness and meditation into meetings, program literature, and the recovery process, creating the opportunity to study these variables in a peer-support program context. Mindfulness and meditation are beneficial for people in recovery, yet we know little about their relationship to recovery capital, a positive indicator of recovery outcomes. We explored mindfulness and meditation (average length of sessions and average frequency per week) as predictors of recovery capital and examined perceived support in relation to recovery capital. The study recruited participants (N = 209) through the RD website, newsletter and social media pages for an online survey that included measures of recovery capital, mindfulness, perceived support, and questions about meditation practices (e.g., frequency, duration). Participants' mean age was 46.68 years (SD = 12.21), with 45 % female (5.7 % non-binary), and 26.8 % from the LGBTQ2S+ community. The mean time in recovery was 7.45 years (SD = 10.37). The study fitted univariate and multivariate linear regression models to determine significant predictors of recovery capital. As anticipated, multivariate linear regressions indicated that mindfulness (β = 0.31, p < .001), meditation frequency (β = 0.26, p < .001), and perceived support from RD (β = 0.50, p < .001) were all significant predictors of recovery capital when controlling for age and spirituality. However, longer time in recovery and the average duration of meditation sessions did not predict recovery capital as anticipated. Results indicate the importance of a regular meditation practice for recovery capital rather than engaging in prolonged sessions infrequently. The results also support previous findings, which point to the influence of mindfulness and meditation on positive outcomes for people in recovery. Further, peer support is associated with higher recovery capital in RD members. This study is the first examination of the relationship between mindfulness, meditation, peer support, and recovery capital in recovering people. The findings lay the groundwork for the continued exploration of these variables as they relate to positive outcomes both within the RD program and in other recovery pathways.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression, Guilt, and Tibetan Buddhism 98 primarily Tibetan Buddhist meditation practitioners and 438 non-Buddhist,... | 2012 | Cross-sectional comparative study | n = 536 |
| The Mediating Role of Precepts and Meditation on Attachment and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents. Thai boarding-school students in 10th-12th grade from five schools (two Buddhist, three... | 2023 | Cross-sectional survey with parallel mediation analysis | n = 453 |
| Personality Traits and Future Anxiety in Buddhisms: a Study of Adult Tibetan Buddhist Practitioners from Uruguay Members of three Tibetan Buddhist groups in Uruguay, plus religious and non-religious... | 2022 | Cross-sectional comparison | n = 156 |
| The impact of Zen meditation on security and satisfaction in monogamous relationships Men and women aged 18 or older in monogamous relationships for one year or more | 2011 | Observational study (survey) | n = 405 |
| Synergistic effects of Buddhist five precepts and death contemplation on inner strengths and mental health in elderly Thai meditators. Elderly Thai Buddhist meditators aged 60 and above from temples and meditation centers... | 2025 | Cross-sectional study | n = 332 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Mandela Yoga: a community case study for a post-incarceration reentry service for men of color in recovery. Frontiers in Public Health 2025
- The Effectiveness and Exploratory Cost-Effectiveness of Regular Meditation for Improving Quality of Life: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study. JMIR Research Protocols July 17, 2026
Cites 14
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for the Treatment of Substance and Behavioral Addictions: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry March 29, 2018
- Enhanced response inhibition during intensive meditation training predicts improvements in self-reported adaptive socioemotional functioning. Emotion April 1, 2011
- Using Meditation in Addiction Counseling Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling October 1, 2011
- Buddhism in Addiction Recovery Encyclopedia March 24, 2022
and 9 more in the library