Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress management program as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in patients with anxiety disorder.
Sang-Hyuk Lee, Seung Chan Ahn, Yu Jin Lee, Tae Kyu Choi, Ki Hwan Yook, Shin Young Suh
Journal of Psychosomatic Research February 2007 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.09.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with anxiety disorder |
| Interventions | Meditation-based stress management program Anxiety disorder education program |
| Duration | 8-week program, with outcome measured at 0, 2, 4, and 8 weeks |
| Measures | Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Patients with anxiety disorder assigned to an 8-week meditation-based stress management program showed significantly greater improvement than an education group on all anxiety scales (HAM-A, STAI state, STAI trait, SCL-90-R anxiety) and on the SCL-90-R hostility subscale, while depression results were inconsistent and several other SCL-90-R subscales showed no significant improvement. The authors argue the program may be effective for anxiety symptoms but needs further randomized controlled trials before clinical use. |
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a meditation-based stress management program in patients with anxiety disorder. Patients with anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to an 8-week clinical trial of either a meditation-based stress management program or an anxiety disorder education program. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Symptom Checklist--90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to measure outcome at 0, 2, 4, and 8 weeks of the program. Compared to the education group, the meditation-based stress management group showed significant improvement in scores on all anxiety scales (HAM-A, P=.00; STAI state, P=.00; STAI trait, P=.00; anxiety subscale of SCL-90-R, P=.00) and in the SCL-90-R hostility subscale (P=.01). Findings on depression measures were inconsistent, with no significant improvement shown by subjects in the meditation-based stress management group compared to those in the education group. The meditation-based stress management group did not show significant improvement in somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and interpersonal sensitivity scores, or in the SCL-90-R phobic anxiety subscale compared to the education group. A meditation-based stress management program can be effective in relieving anxiety symptoms in patients with anxiety disorder. However, well-designed, randomized, and controlled trials are needed to scientifically prove the worth of this intervention prior to treatment.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Improving Health, Quality of Life, and Social Functioning in Adults Campbell Systematic Reviews 2012
- Mindfulness training for psychological stress in family caregivers of persons with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Clinical Interventions in Aging September 1, 2017
- Effect of integral yoga on psychological and health variables and their correlations International Journal of Yoga 2011
- Eficacia de los tratamientos psicológicos basados en mindfulness para los trastornos de ansiedad y depresión : una revisión sistemática = Effectiveness of mindfulness based treatments for anxiety and depressive disorders : a systematic review Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica April 1, 2011
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Cites 6
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Influence of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention on rates of skin clearing in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis undergoing phototherapy (UVB) and photochemotherapy (PUVA). Psychosomatic Medicine 1998
- Meditation improves clinicoelectroencephalographic measures in drug-resistant epileptics. Biofeedback and self-regulation March 1994
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