Prevalence and Predictors of Self-Reported Adverse Experiences in Digital Meditation Training: 2 Randomized Controlled Trials.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Two randomized controlled trials comparing meditation-exposed and non-exposed participants.
PubMed 42284591 · doi:10.2196/90602
What was done
Investigators evaluated adverse experiences (AExs) across two randomized controlled trials testing the digital Healthy Minds Program intervention. Study 1 was an exploratory trial in distressed US undergraduate students (n=315) evaluating AEx prevalence and baseline predictors. Study 2 was a preregistered confirmatory trial in distressed US adults (n=594) comparing AEx rates and subjective evaluations between participants who completed guided meditations and non-exposed controls. Study 3 (n=87) was a qualitative analysis of open-ended coping strategies from Study 1 participants.
What was found
In Study 1, 27.9% (88/315) of participants reported at least one AEx, with 6.7% (21/315) reporting functional impairment. In Study 2, 10.1% (40/396) reported at least one AEx, with 3% (12/396) reporting functional impairment. In Study 2, AEx rates did not significantly differ between participants who completed guided meditations and those who did not. Higher baseline depression, anxiety, loneliness, experiential avoidance, and perceived barriers to meditation predicted more frequent AExs. Among participants reporting AExs, 89.8% (79/88 in Study 1) and 90% (36/40 in Study 2) reported they were glad to have learned to meditate.
Why it matters
This study shows that adverse experiences during digital meditation training occur at baseline control rates in distressed populations, suggesting these events are largely epiphenomena of underlying distress rather than iatrogenic harm.
Limits
Both study samples were restricted to distressed US populations, which limits generalizability to broader non-distressed populations. All adverse experiences and functional impairments were measured via subjective self-reports without objective clinical assessment.