Comparing the Efficacy of Spiritual Meditation, Secular Meditation, and Relaxation in Depressed College Students
Year: 2008
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: Working with a sample of 54 mildly depressed undergraduates, the present study compared the effects of spiritual meditation, secular meditation, and relaxation techniques on mood and spiritual well-being.Upon random assignment to the Spiritual Meditation group, the Secular Meditation group, or the Relaxation group, participants were taught how to practice a meditation or relaxation technique.They were instructed to practice their assigned technique 20 minutes per day for two consecutive weeks.Participants completed criterion measures for affect and spiritual well-being at three time points during the course of the study: prior to beginning the two-week meditation/relaxation intervention, directly following the two-week intervention, and one month following the completion of the intervention.Overall results suggest that the addition of an explicitly spiritual component to the practice of meditation does not appear to add to the effectiveness of this technique among depressed college students.Although spiritual meditation was shown to significantly improve positive mood, this finding should be interpreted with caution as this was the only significant time x treatment group interaction.However, results do indicate that all three treatment groups showed improvement in psychological and spiritual variables across time.In addition, spiritual intensity appeared to moderate the relationship between treatment group and daily spiritual experiences and several measures of mood.iii To Ethan and Pam, for all your support and inspiration.
Author: Meryl Reist Gibbel
Institution: Bowling Green State University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W161112616