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Cited by 35Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsChild Abuse and TraumaPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Clinical Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Adults with a History of Childhood Maltreatment: a Scoping Review

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Joss, Diane, Teicher, Martin H.·2021·Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry
DOI 10.1007/s40501-021-00240-4PMC PMC8112569
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Abstract

Purpose of review Survivors of childhood maltreatment are at high risk for developing complex psychiatric disorders. Traditional treatments, including psychopharmacology, tend to be less efficacious for this population. This scoping review aimed to discuss existing empirical studies on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions for adult childhood trauma survivors, as well as the documented clinical challenges and adaptations for this population.Recent findings We reviewed 17 research articles that measured the effects of mindfulness-based interventions for adults with childhood maltreatment histories. These studies showed that mindfulness-based interventions can be beneficial for childhood maltreatment survivors to alleviate psychological symptoms including stress, anxiety, recurrent depression, substance use, and post-traumatic stress. Studies had a wide range of methodological quality and reported a broad range of effect sizes. The wide variety of outcome measures and control conditions made it difficult to compare across studies.Summary Mindfulness-based interventions can be beneficial for addressing psychopathology among adults with childhood maltreatment histories, although some adaptations can be necessary to address possible challenges this population are likely to encounter. More research is needed to specifically evaluate the clinical effects among childhood maltreatment survivors and to directly compare the effects among those with and without childhood maltreatment histories.

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  • Within mindfulness-based programs, mixed results have been found for the role of childhood trauma as a moderator of depression outcomes.

    “Within mindfulness-based programs (MBPs), mixed results have been found for the role of childhood trauma as a moderator of depression outcomes.”

    From Childhood trauma and subclinical PTSD symptoms predict adverse effects and worse outcomes across two mindfulness-based programs for active depression (2025) · cites this paper as [9]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) says that four MBCT studies comparing patients with and without childhood maltreatment histories suggest a better effect for maltreatment survivors in preventing recurrent depression. The MBCT section likewise describes studies finding that maltreatment moderated depression outcomes in that direction, rather than reporting mixed moderator results. (LLM, conf=0.79)

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  • Childhood trauma and emotional abuse may cause trauma survivors to introject self-critical and self-blaming attitudes, leading to increased shame and difficulty engaging with some mindfulness and self-compassion practices.

    “Childhood trauma and emotional abuse may cause trauma survivors to introject self-critical and self-blaming attitudes, leading to increased shame and difficulty engaging with some mindfulness and self-compassion practices 53.”

    From Effects of a trauma-informed mindful recovery program on comorbid pain, anxiety, and substance use during primary care buprenorphine treatment: A proof-of-concept study (2023) · cites this paper as [53]

    The Introduction links childhood maltreatment with self-blame and shame, and the Discussion says some survivors find mindfulness practices challenging and may feel overwhelmed while learning self-compassion. The paper does not say that emotional abuse causes survivors to introject self-critical attitudes, or that those attitudes are what makes the practices difficult. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [64]Bowen S, Chawla N, Marlatt GA. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for addictive behaviors: A clinician’s guide. Guilford Press; 2011.

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Authors
Joss, D., & Teicher, M. H.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Joss, Diane
ORCID
Venue
Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-03-14
Volume
8
Issue
2
Pages
31-46
ISSN
2196-3061 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1007/s40501-021-00240-4
PMC
PMC8112569
OpenAlex
W3137158041
Cited by
35
References
93
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1
FWCI
0.50
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (5K01AT009085)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Keywords
mindfulness-based interventions, child abuse, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, substance use, stress, treatment adaptation, psychopathology

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