Mindfulness Interventions in Older Adults for Mental Health and Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis

Paul Verhaeghen, Shelley N Aikman, Grazia Mirabito and Annie Nguyen

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2025, vol. 80, issue 4, 30-50

Abstract: ObjectivesMindfulness interventions are consistently associated with beneficial effects in younger adults. In this meta-analysis, we seek to quantify the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for the mental health and well-being of older adults.MethodsWe include 46 studies that implemented a mindfulness intervention (MBSR = 20; MBCT = 9; ad hoc protocol = 17) with older adults (samples with an average age of 60 or older; healthy adults = 20; adults with underlying symptoms = 26), examining a wide range of outcome measures (e.g., stress, quality of life, sleep).ResultsMindfulness interventions in older adults yielded an estimated Hedges’ g of 0.25. Moderator analyses revealed three significant effects. Type of intervention mattered, with the effect size for MBSR not significantly different from zero (Hedges’ g = 0.12) while the effect sizes for MBCT (Hedges’ g = 0.33) and “other” interventions (Hedges’ g = 0.36) were. Outcome measure mattered, with significant beneficial effect sizes for mental functioning (Hedges’ g = 0.59), depression (Hedges’ g = 0.35), sleep (Hedges’ g = 0.39), anxiety (Hedges’ g = 0.32), “other” (Hedges’ g = 0.24), stress (Hedges’ g = 0.22) and mindfulness (Hedges’ g = 0.23). Finally, whether the outcome was targeted (e.g., measures of depression in a population suffering from major depressive disorder) mattered: variables that measured targeted outcomes yielded stronger effects (Hedges’ g = 0.30).DiscussionMindfulness interventions with older adults are effective, but modestly so. The extant literature is limited by reliance on modified interventions that have not been evaluated for effectiveness.

Keywords: Anxiety; Caregivers; Depression; MBSR; MBCT (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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