The Effects of Mindfulness Interventions on Older Adults' Cognition: A Meta-Analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 36148552 · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbac143
What was done
A systematic review and three-level meta-analysis of 30 published randomized controlled trials was conducted to evaluate the effects of mindfulness interventions on cognitive performance. The study analyzed healthy older adults and older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia compared to control groups across multiple cognitive domains and moderator variables.
What was found
Mindfulness interventions produced a small, statistically significant positive effect on overall cognition compared to control groups (average weighted Hedges' g = 0.36, 95% CI [0.06, 0.65]). Significant positive effects occurred in specific domains: - Long-term memory: g = 0.32 (95% CI [0.08, 0.56]) - Attention: g = 0.22 (95% CI [0.09, 0.35]) - Visuospatial processing: g = 0.22 (95% CI [0.10, 0.34]) Healthy older adults showed significant cognitive benefit (g = 0.27, 95% CI [0.11, 0.43]), whereas participants with MCI did not (g = -0.09, 95% CI [-0.35, 0.17]). Age, gender, education, marital status, region, intervention type, length, number of sessions, and adherence did not significantly moderate effect sizes. There was no evidence of publication bias.
Why it matters
This review shows that mindfulness interventions offer modest cognitive gains in healthy older adults, but indicates that these benefits do not extend to older adults who already have mild cognitive impairment.
Limits
The total number of individual participants was not reported in the abstract. Interventions showed no significant cognitive benefit in participants with MCI, confidence intervals for the overall effect were wide, and the abstract lacks details on control group classifications (active versus passive).
Cited by
- supports Meditation and mindfulness have been shown to improve learning and memory.