Digital Characteristics and Dissemination Indicators to Optimize Delivery of Internet-Supported Mindfulness-Based Interventions for People With a Chronic Condition: Systematic Review.
Lahiru Russell, Anna Ugalde, Donna Milne, David W Austin, Patricia M Livingston
JMIR Mental Health August 21, 2018 DOI: 10.2196/mental.9645 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People with a chronic condition, predominantly female participants |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Chronic condition Internet |
| Key findings | Internet-supported mindfulness-based interventions were more effective than usual care or wait-list groups, and self-guided interventions were as effective as facilitator-guided interventions. Adherence was inconsistently defined, preventing robust comparison, and reporting of dissemination factors such as representativeness, adoption, maintenance, and costs was rare. |
Abstract
Internet-supported mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly being used to support people with a chronic condition. Characteristics of MBIs vary greatly in their mode of delivery, communication patterns, level of facilitator involvement, intervention period, and resource intensity, making it difficult to compare how individual digital features may optimize intervention adherence and outcomes. The aims of this review were to (1) provide a description of digital characteristics of internet-supported MBIs and examine how these relate to evidence for efficacy and adherence to the intervention and (2) gain insights into the type of information available to inform translation of internet-supported MBIs to applied settings. MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases were searched for studies assessing an MBI delivered or accessed via the internet and engaging participants in daily mindfulness-based activities such as mindfulness meditations and informal mindfulness practices. Only studies using a comparison group of alternative interventions (active compactor), usual care, or wait-list were included. Given the broad definition of chronic conditions, specific conditions were not included in the original search to maximize results. The search resulted in 958 articles, from which 11 articles describing 10 interventions met the inclusion criteria. Internet-supported MBIs were more effective than usual care or wait-list groups, and self-guided interventions were as effective as facilitator-guided interventions. Findings were informed mainly by female participants. Adherence to interventions was inconsistently defined and prevented robust comparison between studies. Reporting of factors associated with intervention dissemination, such as population representativeness, program adoption and maintenance, and costs, was rare. More comprehensive descriptions of digital characteristics need to be reported to further our understanding of features that may influence engagement and behavior change and to improve the reproducibility of MBIs. Gender differences in determinants and patterns of health behavior should be taken into account at the intervention design stage to accommodate male and female preferences. Future research could compare MBIs with established evidence-based therapies to identify the population groups that would benefit most from internet-supported programs. PROSPERO CRD42017078665; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=78665 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/71ountJpu).
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 7
- Effects of an Online Meditation Course on Quality of Life and Positive Emotions: A Prospective Observational Study (EXPANSION Study). Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine June 1, 2024
- Gender-specific responses to mindfulness-based interventions in primary care: A systematic review of mental health and pain management outcomes. Journal of Health Psychology April 20, 2026
- Engagement Strategies to Improve Adherence and Retention in Web-Based Mindfulness Programs: Systematic Review Journal of Medical Internet Research August 28, 2023
- Online Mindfulness Intervention for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Adherence and Efficacy Frontiers in Psychology March 29, 2022
- Contemplative Psychology: History, Key Assumptions, and Future Directions. Perspectives on Psychological Science 2022
and 2 more in the library
Cites 13
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Standardised Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Healthcare: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of RCTs PLoS One April 16, 2015
- Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions for People With Physical Health Conditions: Systematic Review Journal of Medical Internet Research August 31, 2017
- Group, One-on-One, or Internet? Preferences for Mindfulness Meditation Delivery Format and their Predictors Open Medicine Journal November 28, 2014
- Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention in Heart Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial PLoS One December 7, 2015
and 8 more in the library