Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Occupational Therapy: A Systematic Review.
Lujia Wang, Xiaoxiao Wang, Hang Su and 1 others
Across 10 small studies, mindfulness added to occupational therapy improved mental health in most cases and helped some patients with activity and participation.
It showed no clear benefit for physical health, thinking, or quality of life. Samples were tiny and designs varied widely.
Key findings
1Of the 10 studies, 8 showed significant improvement in mental health, 4 showed potential benefits for activity and participation, and 5 showed no significant benefit for physical health, cognitive function, or quality of life.
2A meta-analysis was not possible because the studies used different designs, different outcome measures, and different types of mindfulness interventions, so the findings are a narrative summary only.
3Some of the included studies had no control group, making it difficult to determine whether mindfulness added anything beyond what participants were already receiving.
Still to come
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 studies were included, with intervention-group sizes from 11 to 52, so no single finding is well powered. Five of the 10 studies had no control group at all, so improvement could reflect time, attention, or expectation rather than the mindfulness component. The interventions were too different in content, duration, and delivery to be pooled, so there is no single estimate of how well mindfulness works in OT. Participants were predominantly women (176 of 270) and drawn mostly from North America and Asia, limiting generalisability. Most outcomes were self-report scales, which the authors note can introduce social-desirability bias. The review did not include mindfulness-movement studies (yoga, tai chi, qigong) as a separate category, so that body of evidence is not represented.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that mindfulness works in OT. The 10 studies had 11 to 52 participants each, some had no control group, and the interventions were too different to pool into a single estimate. One study found no benefit at all, and the positive findings come from small, heterogeneous samples that cannot be combined.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →