The Emerging Role of Mindfulness Meditation as Effective Self-Management Strategy, Part 2: Clinical Implications for Chronic Pain, Substance Misuse, and Insomnia.
Marina A Khusid, Meena Vythilingam
Military Medicine September 2016 DOI: 10.7205/milmed-d-14-00678 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults with chronic pain, substance use disorder, tobacco use disorder, or insomnia, particularly service members and veterans with co-occurring conditions |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based interventions mindfulness meditation mindfulness training for smokers |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that mindfulness-based interventions effectively and durably reduce pain intensity and improve functional status, pain-related psychological consequences, and quality of life (SOR B); can be used adjunctively to improve health-related quality of life in substance use disorders (SOR B); and, added to pharmacotherapy for smoking, show abstinence maintenance comparable to standard care (SOR B). They call for large randomized trials with active controls in service members and veterans. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions have been increasingly utilized in the management of chronic pain since 1982. This second review of a two-part series evaluates the efficacy, mechanism, and safety of mindfulness meditation for chronic pain, substance use disorder, tobacco use disorder, and insomnia frequently co-occurring after return from deployment. Standard databases were searched until August 4, 2015. 72 relevant systematic reviews and clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy was used to assess the quality of individual studies and to rate the strength of recommendation (SOR) for each clinical condition. Mindfulness-based interventions effectively and durably reduce pain intensity, improve functional status, pain-related psychological consequences, quality of life (SOR B). They can also be utilized as an adjunctive intervention aimed at improving health-related quality of life in individuals with substance use disorders interested in self-management strategies (SOR B). Mindfulness training for smokers used adjunctively with pharmacotherapy shows efficacy in maintaining abstinence comparable to that of the current standard of care (SOR B). Future large, well-designed randomized clinical trials using active controls in service members and veterans with co-occurring pain and psychological health conditions are necessary to provide more precise clinical guidance.
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
Cited by 5
- Short-Form Mindfulness Training Protects Against Working Memory Degradation over High-Demand Intervals Journal of Cognitive Enhancement June 1, 2017
- Virtual Reality Combined with Mind-Body Therapies for the Management of Pain: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 2024
- A Virtual Reality Meditative Intervention Modulates Pain and the Pain Neuromatrix in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder. Pain Medicine November 26, 2021
- Novel adaptations of mindfulness in the UK Armed Forces during peacetime. Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps April 1, 2019
- Prevalence and patterns of use of mantra, mindfulness and spiritual meditation among adults in the United States. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine June 15, 2017
Cites 27
- Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances JAMA Internal Medicine February 16, 2015
- Mindfulness Meditation for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review Substance Abuse October 1, 2009
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia Sleep August 29, 2014
- Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience November 22, 2011
- Pain Attenuation through Mindfulness is Associated with Decreased Cognitive Control and Increased Sensory Processing in the Brain Cerebral Cortex December 15, 2011
and 22 more in the library