A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Meditation for Work Stress, Anxiety and Depressed Mood in Full‐Time Workers
Ramesh Manocha, Deborah Black, Jerome Sarris, Con Stough
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine January 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1155/2011/960583 via OpenAlex
Summary
An 8-week randomized controlled trial with 178 full-time workers compared a mental-silence meditation (Sahaja Yoga) to a relaxation active control and a wait-list control. The meditation group showed significantly greater improvements in work stress and depressed mood than both control groups. The findings suggest that approaches emphasizing thought reduction or mental silence may have specific benefits for occupational stress and depressive feelings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 178 |
| Population | Full-time adult workers |
| Intervention | Sahaja Yoga meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Mood Randomized controlled trial Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 100 |
| Key finding | Mental-silence meditation significantly reduced work stress and depressed mood compared to relaxation and wait-list controls. |
Abstract
Objective. To assess the effect of meditation on work stress, anxiety and mood in full-time workers. Methods. 178 adult workers participated in an 8-week, 3-arm randomized controlled trial comparing a "mental silence" approach to meditation (n = 59) to a "relaxation" active control (n = 56) and a wait-list control (n = 63). Participants were assessed before and after using Psychological Strain Questionnaire (PSQ), a subscale of the larger Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI), the State component of the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI), and the depression-dejection (DD) subscale of the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results. There was a significant improvement for the meditation group compared to both the relaxation control and the wait-list groups the PSQ (P = .026), and DD (P = .019). Conclusions. Mental silence-orientated meditation, in this case Sahaja Yoga meditation, is a safe and effective strategy for dealing with work stress and depressive feelings. The findings suggest that "thought reduction" or "mental silence" may have specific effects relevant to work stress and hence occupational health.