The relationship between mindfulness meditation and well-being during 8 weeks of ecological momentary assessment
Oskari Lahtinen, Christina Salmivalli
Mindfulness 2020 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-019-01248-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 457 |
| Population | Finnish upper secondary education students |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention with nine time points |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Weekly minutes of mindfulness meditation were a consistent, albeit weak, predictor of decreases in anxiety and increases in happiness over the course of an 8-week online mindfulness-based program. The authors suggest that well-being improvement from mindfulness meditation is an ongoing process. |
Abstract
Abstract:
Objectives: The main effects of 8-week mindfulness-based programs (MBP) on anxiety and depression are now supported by reasonably robust evidence. However, few to no studies have looked at whether and how these main effects come to be over the course of the MBP. The goal of the present study was to look at how meditation practice predicted changes in well-being, and vice versa, at a weekly level, within an 8-week online MBP.
Methods: The participants were 457 Finnish upper secondary education students who underwent an 8-week online MBP. App-based ecological momentary assessment data were collected on how many minutes the participants meditated (daily) and their anxiety, happiness, and sleep problems (weekly). These data were analyzed using a longitudinal (nine time point) path model.
Results: Participants’ weekly minutes of mindfulness meditation were a consistent, albeit weak, predictor of decreases in anxiety and increases in happiness. During the course of the study, answer rates declined from 75.7% (Time 0) to 27.4% (Time 8) for anxiety, happiness, and sleep and from 80.5% to 37.0% for meditation minutes.
Conclusions: Results suggest well-being improvement from mindfulness meditation is an ongoing process and that ecological momentary assessment is a promising methodology for studying it.
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 3
- Mindfulness buffers the effect of negative affect on rumination: A daily diary study during a mindfulness‐based intervention Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being September 30, 2026
- The Effects of Dose, Practice Habits, and Objects of Focus on Digital Meditation Effectiveness and Adherence: Longitudinal Study of 280,000 Digital Meditation Sessions Across 103 Countries. Journal of Medical Internet Research September 19, 2023
- Effects of Induced Mindfulness at Night on Repetitive Negative Thinking: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. JMIR Mental Health July 19, 2023
Cites 15
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- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
and 10 more in the library