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Cited by 102Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsDigital Mental Health InterventionsPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Can a little bit of mindfulness do you good? A systematic review and meta-analyses of unguided mindfulness-based self-help interventions

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Taylor, Heather, Strauss, Clara, Cavanagh, Kate·2021·Clinical Psychology Review
DOI 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102078
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Abstract

Over the last decade there has been an explosion of interest in mindfulness-based self-help (MBSH) interventions. While widely available and extensively promoted, there is little consensus on their impact in public health or healthcare contexts. We present a systematic review and meta-analyses of 83 randomized controlled trials, comparing unguided MBSH to control conditions on outcomes of depression, mindfulness, anxiety, stress and/or wellbeing/ quality of life. A random effects model was used to compute post-intervention, between-groups effect sizes for each outcome. MBSH demonstrated small, statistically significant effects at post-interventions for outcomes of depression (g = -0.23), mindfulness (g = 0.37) anxiety (g = -0.25), stress (g = -0.41) and wellbeing/ quality of life (g = 0.34). Significant effects were retained at follow-up for mindfulness, stress and wellbeing/ quality of life but not for depression or anxiety. Planned moderator analyses demonstrated significantly larger effects of MBSH when compared to inactive, versus active-control conditions on all outcomes except wellbeing/ quality of life, and non-digital MBSH interventions demonstrated significantly greater effects on depression, mindfulness and wellbeing/ quality of life outcomes than digitally-delivered MBSH. When studies that utilised samples selected for mental and physical health-related difficulties were respectively compared to studies that utilised unselected samples, no significant moderation effects were observed. In sum, these findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of unguided MBSH in public health settings and the practical, access-related implications of this are discussed.

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  • Similar meta-analytic findings concerning effects on stress, anxiety and depression have been found for related and more analogous techniques such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and stress reduction (MBCT/MBSR) along with self-help (MBSH).

    “Similar meta-analytic findings concerning effects on stress, anxiety and depression have been found for related and more analogous techniques such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and stress reduction (MBCT/MBSR)99 along with self-help (MBSH)100.”

    From Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials (2023) · cites this paper as [100]

  • Recent meta-analytic evidence suggests self-help mindfulness-based interventions are beneficial for depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life in public health settings.

    “Furthermore, recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that self-help mindfulness-based interventions are beneficial for depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life in public health settings [18].”

    From Acceptance and commitment therapy adapted for women with infertility: a pilot study of the Infertility ACTion program. (2024) · cites this paper as [18]

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Authors
Taylor, H., Strauss, C., & Cavanagh, K.
Affiliations
University of Sussex (GB)
Corresponding author
Cavanagh, Kate
ORCID
Venue
Clinical Psychology Review
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-11
Volume
89
Pages
102078
ISSN
0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102078
OpenAlex
W3197712635
Cited by
102
References
98
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 4
FWCI
1.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
depression, anxiety, stress, well-being, quality of life, digital interventions, access to mental health care
MeSH terms
Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Humans, Quality of Life, Mindfulness

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