Trial reportJournal of clinical psychology2016
Mechanistic Pathways of Mindfulness Meditation in Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Trial report in Journal of clinical psychology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review for the Medical Applications of Meditation in Randomized Controlled Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of a Polyvagal Perspective on Embodied Contemplative Practices as Promoters of Cardiorespiratory Coupling and Traumatic Stress Recovery for PTSD and OCD: Research Methodologies and State of the Art.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Military-related posttraumatic stress disorder and mindfulness meditation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi · 2021Pooled it
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Effects on Cardiovascular Physiology: A Systematic Review and Agenda for Future Research.Journal of traumatic stress · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy and acceptability of mindfulness-based interventions for military veterans: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of psychosomatic research · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions for adults with a history of complex traumatic events: the INCiTE mixed-methods systematic review.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Meditation and yoga for posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analytic review of randomized controlled trials.Clinical psychology review · 2017Pooled it
- The Effects of Mindfulness and Meditation on Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis.Psychosomatic medicinePooled it
- Examining the Effectiveness of Breathwork to Improve Resilience and Psychological Wellbeing While Reducing Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Insomnia in Paramedicine Students: A Single-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Trial
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Social media usage and students' social anxiety, loneliness and well-being: does digital mindfulness-based intervention effectively work?BMC psychology · 2023Trial
- Effects of mindfulness training on posttraumatic stress symptoms from a community-based pilot clinical trial among survivors of intimate partner violence.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Mindfulness Training Enhances Self-Regulation and Facilitates Health Behavior Change for Primary Care Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2019Trial
- Acute effects of device-guided slow breathing on sympathetic nerve activity and baroreflex sensitivity in posttraumatic stress disorder.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2018Trial
- Successful use of closed-loop allostatic neurotechnology for post-traumatic stress symptoms in military personnel: self-reported and autonomic improvements.Military Medical Research · 2017Trial
- Complementary and integrative health interventions for PTSD in Veterans and family members: A rapid systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2026Article
- The A52 Breath Method: A Narrative Review of Breathwork for Mental Health and Stress Resilience.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2025Review
- Serotonin Transporter (SLC6A4) and FK506-Binding Protein 5 (FKBP5) Genotype and Methylation Relationships with Response to Meditation in Veterans with PTSD.Molecular neurobiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study's objective was to evaluate the effect of two common components of meditation (mindfulness and slow breathing) on potential mechanistic pathways.
methodsA total of 102 combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were randomized to (a) the body scan mindfulness meditation (MM), (b) slow breathing (SB) with a biofeedback device, (c) mindful awareness of the breath with an intention to slow the breath (MM+SB), or (d) sitting quietly (SQ). Participants had 6 weekly one-on-one sessions with 20 minutes of daily home practice. The mechanistic pathways and measures were as follows: (a) autonomic nervous system (hyperarousal symptoms, heart rate [HR], and heart rate variability [HRV]); (b) frontal cortex activity (attentional network task [ANT] conflict effect and event-related negativity and intrusive thoughts); and (c) hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (awakening cortisol). PTSD measures were also evaluated.
resultsMeditation participants had significant but modest within-group improvement in PTSD and related symptoms, although there were no effects between groups. Perceived impression of PTSD symptom improvement was greater in the meditation arms compared with controls. Resting respiration decreased in the meditation arms compared with SQ. For the mechanistic pathways, (a) subjective hyperarousal symptoms improved within-group (but not between groups) for MM, MM+SB, and SQ, while HR and HRV did not; (b) intrusive thoughts decreased in MM compared with MM+SB and SB, while the ANT measures did not change; and (c) MM had lower awakening cortisol within-group (but not between groups).
conclusionTreatment effects were mostly specific to self-report rather than physiological measures. Continued research is needed to further evaluate mindfulness meditation's mechanism in people with PTSD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.