Abstract
Objective: There has been a growing interest in the study of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). Many clinical trials and experimental designs have been implemented, with different samples and diverse MBI procedures. Reviews have shown unclear results, apart from a tendency to identify low-to-moderate effectiveness. The purpose of this review is to examine the effectiveness of MBIs on anxiety complaints, analyzing available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Method: The literature search was done in MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsycINFO, from the first available review in 2003 until March 2020. From 82 initial references, 12 reviews were selected. Results: Reviews confirmed a moderate effect size of MBIs in improving anxiety symptoms. This efficacy was similar to that of well-established therapies for reducing anxiety symptoms, such as cognitive behavioral therapies. A large effect size was found when well-developed MBI protocols were applied. Discussion: More refined clinical trials are needed to establish clear conditions of MBI effectiveness (protocols, samples, psychological mechanisms, etc.). In addition, considering mindfulness processes, new outcome measures are needed (such as acceptance, self-awareness, or well-being) to test the incremental value of MBIs.
Highlights
The use of meditation as a therapeutic resource for physical and psychological problems has enjoyed appreciable growth in recent decades
Most were excluded either because they did not report pertinent outcome measures, they did not refer to anxiety disorders, interventions based on the mindfulness technique were not applied, or not enough results data were provided
Several general conclusions can be drawn: (i) The RSs and meta-analytic studies (MA) reviewed confirm the existence of well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effectiveness of different mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs)
Summary
The use of meditation as a therapeutic resource for physical and psychological problems has enjoyed appreciable growth in recent decades. Mindfulness represents a well-known meditation procedure in clinical practice. Mindfulness tries to teach a new way of relating with negative feelings through different processes and strategies (observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreacting) based on focusing on the present moment [2]. While the precise “active principle” behind mindfulness efficacy remains unclear, processes such as self-awareness, focused attention, and emotion regulation are frequently cited as playing a central role in the functioning of mindfulness [3]. Acceptance processes are frequently included as the prevalent emotion regulation strategy in mindfulness meditation, as part of a wide range of mindfulness acceptance-based therapies [4]. Mindfulness practice teaches patients “to attend to a wide range of changing objects of attention while maintaining
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