title: Impact of Meditation on Mental Health Outcomes of Female Trauma Survivors of Interpersonal Violence With Co-Occurring Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: This study was a randomized controlled trial that examined the impact of meditation practice on the mental health outcomes of female trauma survivors of interpersonal violence who have co-occurring disorders. Sixty-three female trauma survivors were randomly assigned to the meditation condition and the control condition. Treatment conditions consisted of a 6-week meditation curriculum that was influenced by Tibetan meditation tradition and focused on breathing, loving kindness, and compassion meditation. Clients in the meditation condition made significant changes in mental health symptoms ( t = 5.252, df = 31, p = .000) and trauma symptoms ( t = 6.009, df = 31, p = .000) from pre-treatment to post-treatment, whereas non-significant changes were observed among the control condition clients. There were significant group differences between clients in the meditation condition and in the control condition on their mental health symptoms, F(1, 54) = 13.438, p = .001, and trauma symptoms, F(1, 54) = 13.395, p = .001, with a generally large effect size of eta squared .127 and .146, respectively. In addition, significantly more clients in the meditation condition achieved reliable change in mental health symptoms (35.5% vs. 8.3%) and trauma symptoms (42.3% vs. 4.8%) than clients in the control condition. Significance of the study is discussed with respect to the empirical evidence of meditation practice as a complementary behavioral intervention for treating female trauma survivors of interpersonal violence who have co-occurring disorders.
authors.affiliation: 1 The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
authors.forename: Mo Yee
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 1 The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaharlick
authors.affiliation: 3 Independent Researcher.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Akers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D000066498:Emotional Adjustment; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012119:Respiration; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: co-occurring disorders; female trauma survivors; meditation; mental health; randomized controlled trial; substance use disorders