The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapy for improving anxiety and mood symptoms in clinical populations.
Results Summary
Mindfulness-based therapy showed moderate effectiveness for improving anxiety (Hedges's g = 0.63) and mood symptoms (Hedges's g = 0.59) overall, with stronger effects (Hedges's g = 0.97 and 0.95, respectively) in patients with anxiety and mood disorders. The effects were robust and maintained over follow-up.
Population
Clinical samples, including patients with cancer, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and other psychiatric or medical conditions.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness-based therapy | decrease | anxiety symptoms | clinical samples | Hedges's g = 0.63 | moderately effective for improving | #1 |
mindfulness-based therapy | decrease | mood symptoms | clinical samples | Hedges's g = 0.59 | moderately effective for improving | #2 |
mindfulness-based therapy | decrease | anxiety symptoms | patients with anxiety and mood disorders | Hedges's g = 0.97 | associated with effect sizes | #3 |
mindfulness-based therapy | decrease | mood symptoms | patients with anxiety and mood disorders | Hedges's g = 0.95 | associated with effect sizes | #4 |
OBJECTIVE: Although mindfulness-based therapy has become a popular treatment, little is known about its efficacy. Therefore, our objective was to conduct an effect size analysis of this popular intervention for anxiety and mood symptoms in clinical samples. METHOD: We conducted a literature search using PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches. Our meta-analysis was based on 39 studies totaling 1,140 participants receiving mindfulness-based therapy for a range of conditions, including cancer, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and other psychiatric or medical conditions. RESULTS: Effect size estimates suggest that mindfulness-based therapy was moderately effective for improving anxiety (Hedges's g = 0.63) and mood symptoms (Hedges's g = 0.59) from pre- to posttreatment in the overall sample. In patients with anxiety and mood disorders, this intervention was associated with effect sizes (Hedges's g) of 0.97 and 0.95 for improving anxiety and mood symptoms, respectively. These effect sizes were robust, were unrelated to publication year or number of treatment sessions, and were maintained over follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that mindfulness-based therapy is a promising intervention for treating anxiety and mood problems in clinical populations.