Mindfulness Training in Military Settings: Emerging Evidence and Best-Practice Guidance.
Amishi P. Jha, Mary K Izaguirre, Amy B Adler
Current Psychiatry Reports June 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-025-01608-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Military service members |
| Intervention | mindfulness training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Consistent daily practice Integrate mindfulness training Service members Military personnel Military familiarity Cognitive performance attention Mental focus Attentional control Overall cognitive function High-stakes performance Significant positive outcomes Implementation strategies implementation Successful implementation Practical factors Best practices |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training may protect and strengthen military service members' attentional control and enhance performance, cognitive functions, psychological well-being, and social relationships, with implementation factors like daily practice and trainer familiarity influencing benefits. |
Abstract
Evidence suggests that mindfulness training (MT) may protect and strengthen military service members' attentional control functions, improving their performance and holistic fitness as they face the modern-day battlefield. Yet, implementation challenges must be addressed to realize MT's benefits consistently and at scale. Despite heterogeneity in MT program content, evaluation metrics, and participants' military career stages across studies, recent findings suggest that MT may bolster performance, cognitive functions, psychological well-being, and social relationships. Additionally, implementation factors such as daily practice, trainers' familiarity with the military, and course content influence the extent of benefits. Attentional control is critical for effective performance, yet vulnerable to compromise in high-demand cohorts, such as military service members. MT not only targets and strengthens military service members' attentional control but also enhances other aspects of their functioning. Despite recognized hurdles, best practice guidance is emerging and continued research and efforts to implement MT in military settings are warranted.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Prospective Acceptability and Implementation Considerations of a Proposed Brief Online Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Intervention Among Military Personnel Behavioral Sciences October 5, 2026
- PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION OF MILITARY PERSONNEL THROUGH MINDFULNESS PRACTICES: CURRENT TENDENCIES AND EFFICIENCY Problems of engineer-pedagogical education December 30, 2025
- Intervention effects of subconscious cultivation in mindfulness-based physical education teaching and training on pain perception and psychological resilience in advanced cancer patients Psycho-Oncologie December 17, 2025
- Culturally Aware Mindfulness Training for Army Leaders: A Scalable Solution to Strengthen Mental Readiness November 21, 2025
- Evaluating Mindfulness Training as a Cognitive Performance Enhancement Tool: Insights from Two Pragmatic Cluster-Randomized Trials in an Elite Military Educational Setting Mindfulness April 1, 2026
Cites 22
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mental Training as a Tool in the Neuroscientific Study of Brain and Cognitive Plasticity Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2011
and 17 more in the library