Mindfulness programs reduced depression and anxiety symptoms in pooled trials
Programs included ethical and moral practices; most trials raised some concerns about bias.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
These mindfulness programs reduced depression and anxiety symptoms after treatment in the pooled results. Clinical samples showed larger improvements than healthy or mixed samples. The findings remained positive when outlying studies were removed, although the estimated effects became smaller. Caution is warranted because most trials raised some concerns about bias.
The abstract does not specify follow-up lengths or provide enough program and comparator detail to identify the best approach for an individual.
What researchers found
Depressive symptoms: Hedges' g
Intervention versus control groups immediately after treatment; a standardized difference favoring intervention.
Anxiety symptoms: Hedges' g
Intervention versus control groups immediately after treatment; a standardized difference favoring intervention.
How to read the effects
The reported effects compare symptom scores between intervention and control groups on a standardized scale. They are not percentages of recovery and do not reveal how many participants experienced a noticeable improvement.
What lasted beyond treatment
Follow-up analyses reported sustained reductions in depression. The abstract does not provide a corresponding sustained anxiety estimate or say how long participants were followed, limiting conclusions about the durability of either outcome.
The original publication
The effectiveness of second-generation mindfulness interventions on anxiety and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Xu L, Goldberg SB, Zhang L et al.
Clin Psychol Rev · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41512699
- Record checked
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