In generalized anxiety disorder, different treatments improve distinct aspects of mindfulness. A clinical trial randomly assigned 226 individuals with GAD to 12 weeks of Kundalini Yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy, or stress education. The Non-judge, Act with Awareness, and Non-react facets of mindfulness increased significantly during treatment, while the Observe and Describe facets did not. Improvement in Acting with Awareness was significantly greater for Kundalini Yoga than for cognitive behavioral therapy. These findings suggest that behavioral treatments can influence specific mindfulness components differently.
For adults with anxiety disorders, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) delivered via videoconference was comparably effective to in-person MBSR, but MBSR-VC did not meet the threshold for non-inferiority compared to the antidepressant escitalopram (ESC) delivered by videoconference. In a randomized controlled trial with 202 participants, MBSR-VC and ESC-VC showed similar average improvement on the Clinical Global Impression of Severity scale (1.39 vs 1.51 points), but non-inferiority was not supported. In-person treatments had a greater impact on social anxiety than their video versions. ESC-VC received higher satisfaction ratings and had a greater effect on panic symptoms than MBSR-VC. Remotely delivered MBSR is a viable option for anxiety disorders, though social anxiety may benefit more from in-person care.