The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Mental Health and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

A systematic review of 26 studies found that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve depression, anxiety, quality of life, and working memory in older adults compared to controls. Interventions lasting less than eight weeks showed greater benefits for anxiety and quality of life than longer programs. No significant effects were observed on other cognitive abilities. The authors suggest MBIs may serve as an encouraging alternative to conventional treatments but call for more research to reach definite conclusions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

To assess whether mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) affect mental health and cognitive abilities in older adults. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to June 2023. Weight mean difference and 95% confidence intervals were provided as summary statistics. In total, 26 articles were eligible. Overall, MBIs showed a statistically significant improvement in depression, anxiety, quality of life, and working memory compared to controls. However, no significant effects of MBIs on other cognitive parameters were found. In moderator analysis, less than eight weeks of MBIs showed greater improvement in anxiety and quality of life than longer periods. There was no evidence for publication bias. Mindfulness-based interventions can be an encouraging alternative in place of conventional treatments in improving depression, anxiety, quality of life and working memory in cognition among older adults. However, findings strongly recommend future research to have definite conclusion.