British Medical Bulletin
April 21, 2021
Dexing Zhang, Kam-Pui Lee, E Mák et al.
638 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are effective for improving depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, addiction, psychosis, pain, hypertension, weight control, cancer-related symptoms, and prosocial behaviors. Benefits appear in healthcare, schools, and workplaces, though further research is needed on their efficacy for different problems. Evidence is inconclusive or preliminary for PTSD, ADHD, ASD, eating disorders, loneliness, and physical symptoms of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and respiratory conditions. Many systematic reviews note low quality in included studies, so high-quality trials with adequate sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed. Promising areas for future research include online mindfulness training during the COVID-19 pandemic, deeper understanding of mechanisms, long-term compliance and effects, and personalized mindfulness programs.
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics
January 1, 2025
Jojo Yan Yan Kwok, Lily Man Lee Chan, Charis Ann Lai et al.
13 citations
In people with Parkinson's disease, 8 weeks of either meditation or yoga, compared to usual care, led to significant reductions in anxiety, motor symptoms, and chronic inflammation (measured by interleukin-6 levels), and improved health-related quality of life and the ability to describe experiences. Only meditation significantly reduced depressive symptoms and sustained the improvements in motor symptoms and quality of life at 6 months. The study involved 159 participants with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease who were randomly assigned to meditation, yoga, or a control group.
BMC psychology
July 1, 2025
Patrick Pui Kin Kor, Kee Lee Chou, Alex Pak Lik Tsang et al.
2 citations
A new closed-loop mindfulness program, delivered partly through a mobile app called Mind & Care, is being tested against a traditional mindfulness program and a brief education control in a randomized controlled trial with 189 family caregivers of people with dementia. The closed-loop program adapts practice durations based on the user's attentional capacity and provides quantifiable feedback to support sustained practice. The primary outcome is perceived stress; secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms, peace of mind, caregiving burden, relationship quality, dispositional mindfulness, heart rate variability, and the care recipient's neuropsychiatric symptoms.
BMC psychiatry
May 29, 2024
Bertha Sze Wing Mak, Dexing Zhang, Candice Ling Yuet Man Powell et al.
2 citations
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is being tested against an active control (Seeking Safety) for people with PTSD symptoms who do not meet full diagnostic criteria. The trial randomly assigns 160 participants to either MBCT or Seeking Safety, each delivered in eight weekly two-hour sessions. PTSD symptoms are measured at baseline, after treatment, and three months later using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5. Secondary outcomes include depression, anxiety, attention, avoidance, rumination, mindfulness, and coping skills. The study also examines whether attention, avoidance, and rumination explain how mindfulness affects PTSD symptoms. Results are expected to inform healthcare guidelines for PTSD.