The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on mental health of adults with a chronic medical disease: a meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in populations with chronic somatic diseases.
Results Summary
MBSR showed small effects on depression (effect size 0.26), anxiety (effect size 0.47, reduced to 0.24 when lower-quality studies were excluded), and psychological distress (effect size 0.32). Study quality moderated these effects.
Population
People with chronic somatic diseases.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) | decrease | depression | populations with different chronic somatic diseases | 0.26 | small effect | #1 |
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) | decrease | anxiety | populations with different chronic somatic diseases | 0.47 | effect | #2 |
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) | decrease | anxiety | populations with different chronic somatic diseases | 0.24 | effect | #3 |
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) | decrease | psychological distress | populations with different chronic somatic diseases | 0.32 | small effect | #4 |
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) | decrease | depression, anxiety and psychological distress | people with chronic somatic diseases | - | small effects | #5 |
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on depression, anxiety and psychological distress across populations with different chronic somatic diseases. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to examine the effects of MBSR on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. The influence of quality of studies on the effects of MBSR was analyzed. RESULTS: Eight published, randomized controlled outcome studies were included. An overall effect size on depression of 0.26 was found, indicating a small effect of MBSR on depression. The effect size for anxiety was 0.47. However, quality of the studies was found to moderate this effect size. When the studies of lower quality were excluded, an effect size of 0.24 on anxiety was found. A small effect size (0.32) was also found for psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that MBSR has small effects on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in people with chronic somatic diseases. Integrating MBSR in behavioral therapy may enhance the efficacy of mindfulness based interventions.