A 9-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for 79 veterans at an urban VA facility led to significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, along with improved mental health functioning. Increases in mindfulness were linked to these improvements. However, pain intensity and physical health functioning did not improve. The findings suggest MBSR can benefit veterans' mental health symptoms that are critical to overall health.
A 12-week course of loving-kindness meditation for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder was associated with lasting improvements in positive emotions and personal resources. Unactivated pleasant emotions increased significantly, while both activated and unactivated unpleasant emotions decreased. At a 3-month follow-up, veterans showed gains in environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, self-acceptance, and decentering. The findings suggest that loving-kindness meditation may help broaden positive emotions and build psychological resources in this population, warranting further investigation.