Brief training of psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology-based meditation (PNEIMED) reduces stress symptom ratings and improves control on salivary cortisol secretion under basal and stimulated conditions.
F. Bottaccioli, A. Carosella, R. Cardone, Monica Mambelli, M. Cemin, M. D'Errico, Elisa Ponzio, A. Bottaccioli, A. Minelli
Explore May 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2014.02.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-randomized, controlled, before-and-after study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 125 |
| Population | Healthy adults, mostly health practitioners; a separate subsample of 40 (excluding smokers, overweight persons, women taking contraceptives, and subjects with oral pathologies) |
| Intervention | PsychoNeuroEndocrinoImmunology-based meditation (PNEIMED) |
| Duration | Four-day training (30 h); questionnaire before (T0) and after (Tf) the course; cortisol measured at baseline and after the course |
| Measures | self-rated distress questionnaire, salivary cortisol |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Brief four-day PNEIMED training was followed by large reductions in self-rated distress and by lower awakening cortisol and a smaller, shorter cortisol response to a challenging mental task in the intervention group, with no comparable changes in non-meditating controls. The authors conclude PNEIMED may be an effective practice for managing stress and anxiety, particularly among healthcare workers facing job-related stressors. |
Abstract
CONTEXT Meditation is proposed as an anti-stress practice lowering allostatic load and promoting well-being, with brief formats providing some of the benefits of longer interventions.
Objectives: PsychoNeuroEndocrinoImmunology-based meditation (PNEIMED) combines the teaching of philosophy and practice of Buddhist meditation with a grounding in human physiology from a systemic and integrative perspective. We evaluated the effects of four-day PNEIMED training (30 h) on subjective and objective indices of stress in healthy adults.
Design: A non-randomized, controlled, before-and-after study was conducted.
Participants: (n = 125, mostly health practitioners) answered a questionnaire rating stress symptom before (T0) and after (Tf) a PNEIMED course. In an additional sample (n = 40; smokers, overweight persons, women taking contraceptives, and subjects with oral pathologies were excluded), divided into PNEIMED-attending (intervention, n = 21) and non-meditating (control, n = 19) groups, salivary cortisol was measured upon awakening and during a challenging mental task.
Results: Self-rated distress scores were highly reduced after the PNEIMED course. In the intervention group, improvement of psychological well-being was accompanied by decrease in cortisol levels at awakening. No T0-vs-Tf changes in distress scores and morning cortisol were found in controls. Based on baseline-to-peak increment of cortisol response at T0, 26 subjects (n = 13 for each group) were classified as task-responders. The amplitude and duration of the cortisol response decreased after PNEIMED, whereas no effects were found in controls.
Conclusions: Brief PNEIMED training yields immediate benefits, reducing distress symptoms and adrenocortical activity under basal and stimulated conditions. PNEIMED may represent an effective practice to manage stress and anxiety, particularly among subjects facing a multitude of job-related stressors, such as healthcare workers.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 17
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Psychological Well-being and Quality of Life: Is Increased Mindfulness Indeed the Mechanism? Annals of Behavioral Medicine June 1, 2008
- Effects of Brief and Sham Mindfulness Meditation on Mood and Cardiovascular Variables The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine July 28, 2010
- Impact of Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique on Adrenaline and Cortisol Levels in Healthy Volunteers Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in recurrent depressed patients with and without a current depressive episode: a randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine May 2012
and 12 more in the library