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Mindfulness treatment for substance misuse: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal of substance abuse treatment
April 1, 2017
Wen Li et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleMeta-AnalysisReviewSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

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

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
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
Abstract

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.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Cognitive Behavioral TherapyHumansMindfulnessSubstance-Related Disorders
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality90/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations188
Citations/Year23.5
Relative Citation Ratio11.85
NIH Percentile98.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.50
Normalized Score0.72
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