Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the treatment of current depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis
Simon B. Goldberg, Raymond P. Tucker, Preston Greene, Richard J. Davidson, David J. Kearney, Tracy L. Simpson
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy February 8, 2019 DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2018.1556330 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is effective for reducing current depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder immediately after treatment, but its long-term benefits remain unclear. In a meta-analysis of 13 randomized clinical trials with 1,046 participants, MBCT outperformed non-specific control conditions at post-treatment (effect size d = 0.71), though this advantage was not statistically significant at an average follow-up of 5.70 months. MBCT showed no difference compared to other active therapies at either post-treatment or follow-up. Studies with higher methodological quality tended to show smaller effects, and publication bias appeared minimal.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,046 |
| Population | Adult patients with current depressive symptoms |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Meta-analysis Randomized controlled trial Depressive symptoms Confidence interval |
| Citations | 174 |
| Key finding | MBCT was superior to non-specific controls but not to other active therapies for reducing current depressive symptoms at post-treatment, with limited evidence for long-term effects. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) appears to be a promising intervention for the prevention of relapse in major depressive disorder, but its efficacy in patients with current depressive symptoms is less clear. Randomized clinical trials of MBCT for adult patients with current depressive symptoms were included (k = 13, N = 1046). Comparison conditions were coded based on whether they were intended to be therapeutic (specific active controls) or not (non-specific controls). MBCT was superior to non-specific controls at post-treatment (k = 10, d = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.47, 0.96]), although not at longest follow-up (k = 2, d = 1.47, [−0.71, 3.65], mean follow-up = 5.70 months across all studies with follow-up). MBCT did not differ from other active therapies at post-treatment (k = 6, d = 0.002, [−0.43, 0.44]) and longest follow-up (k = 4, d = 0.26, [−0.24, 0.75]). There was some evidence that studies with higher methodological quality showed smaller effects at post-treatment, but no evidence that effects varied by inclusion criterion. The impact of publication bias appeared minimal. MBCT seems to be efficacious for samples with current depressive symptoms at post-treatment, although a limited number of studies tested the long-term effects of this therapy.