The Effects of Clinical Meditation Programs on Stress and Well-Being
Julia Seekircher, Tanja Burgard, M. Bošnjak
Zeitschrift für Psychologie February 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000510 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Clinical populations with chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, or depression |
| Intervention | Meditation interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Across 316 effect sizes from randomized controlled trials, meditation interventions yielded small improvements in perceived stress (g = 0.18) and well-being (g = 0.25) in chronic clinical populations. The authors conclude that meditation appears beneficial as a complementary treatment, while cautioning that individual studies may have a high risk of bias. |
Abstract
Abstract. Many people suffer from chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, or depression. The use and development of meditation interventions to offer complementary psychological treatment for such patients is increasing, as is criticism of research on this topic. Therefore, the aim of the present rapid review and meta-analysis is to investigate the effects of meditation interventions in randomized controlled trials of clinical populations on perceived stress and well-being. A search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, PsycArticles, and PSYNDEX between July 2013 and April 13, 2021. Three-level random effect models were estimated. Based on 316 effect sizes, small effects of meditation interventions were found (stress: g = 0.18; well-being: g = 0.25) largely paralleling findings of a previous meta-analysis. An important limitation is the potentially high risk of bias for individual studies. Overall, meditation interventions appear to be beneficial for complementary treatment of chronic clinical conditions.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Is mindfulness research methodology improving over time? A systematic review PLoS One October 31, 2017
- Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis at 8 weeks and 12 months: A randomized clinical trial Multiple Sclerosis Journal July 9, 2018
and 6 more in the library