Effects of mindfulness exercises as stand-alone intervention on symptoms of anxiety and depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether stand-alone mindfulness exercises (SAMs) without a larger therapeutic framework are beneficial for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Results Summary
The meta-analysis found that SAMs had small to medium effects on anxiety (SMD = 0.39) and depression, with statistically significant results (p < .001). The effects were consistent across studies, though one outlier was excluded.
Population
Individuals with symptoms of anxiety and depression (n = 1150 across 18 studies).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) | neutral | - | - | - | demonstrating their efficacy | #1 |
stand-alone mindfulness exercises (SAMs) | decrease | anxiety | - | SMD = 0.39; CI: 0.22, 0.56; PI: 0.07, 0.70; p < .001 | had small to medium effects | #2 |
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are currently well established in psychotherapy with meta-analyses demonstrating their efficacy. In these multifaceted interventions, the concrete performance of mindfulness exercises is typically integrated in a larger therapeutic framework. Thus, it is unclear whether stand-alone mindfulness exercises (SAMs) without such a framework are beneficial, as well. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the effects of SAMs on symptoms of anxiety and depression. Systematic searching of electronic databases resulted in 18 eligible studies (n = 1150) for meta-analyses. After exclusion of one outlier SAMs had small to medium effects on anxiety (SMD = 0.39; CI: 0.22, 0.56; PI: 0.07, 0.70; p < .001, I