Mindfulness treatment for substance misuse: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze studies evaluating mindfulness treatments for substance misuse to assess their methodological characteristics and substantive findings.
Results Summary
Mindfulness treatments showed significant small-to-large effects in reducing substance misuse frequency and severity, craving intensity, and stress severity, and were effective in increasing posttreatment abstinence rates for cigarette smoking compared to alternative treatments.
Population
Individuals with substance misuse issues.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness treatments | decrease | frequency of substance misuse | - | significant small-to-large effects | significant small-to-large effects in reducing | #1 |
mindfulness treatments | decrease | severity of substance misuse | - | significant small-to-large effects | significant small-to-large effects in reducing | #2 |
mindfulness treatments | decrease | intensity of craving for psychoactive substances | - | significant small-to-large effects | significant small-to-large effects in reducing | #3 |
mindfulness treatments | decrease | severity of stress | - | significant small-to-large effects | significant small-to-large effects in reducing | #4 |
mindfulness treatments | increase | rates of posttreatment abstinence from cigarette smoking | - | - | effective in increasing | #5 |
High rates of relapse following substance misuse treatment highlight an urgent need for effective therapies. Although the number of empirical studies investigating effects of mindfulness treatment for substance misuse has increased dramatically in recent years, few reviews have examined findings of mindfulness studies. Thus, this systematic review examined methodological characteristics and substantive findings of studies evaluating mindfulness treatments for substance misuse published by 2015. The review also includes the first meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of mindfulness treatments for substance misuse. Comprehensive bibliographic searches in PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science, identified 42 pertinent studies. Meta-analytic results revealed significant small-to-large effects of mindfulness treatments in reducing the frequency and severity of substance misuse, intensity of craving for psychoactive substances, and severity of stress. Mindfulness treatments were also effective in increasing rates of posttreatment abstinence from cigarette smoking compared to alternative treatments. Mindfulness treatment for substance misuse is a promising intervention for substance misuse, although more research is needed examining the mechanisms by which mindfulness interventions exert their effects and the effectiveness of mindfulness treatments in diverse treatment settings.