University Presentation Showcase: Undergraduate Poster Gallery
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Creation Date
Spring 2017
Major
Psychology
Department
Psychology
Degree
Undergraduate
Mentor
Richard Osbaldiston
Mentor Department
Psychology
Abstract
Negative emotional experiences, such as stress, depression, and even PTSD, are ubiquitous parts of modern life. One established—but still underutilized—approach to dealing with these negative emotional states is meditation.
The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine the effectiveness of meditation at reducing symptoms of stress, depression, and PTSD.
Using PsycINFO, 16 studies were located that used experimental designs to evaluate the effectiveness of stress. The standardized mean difference for the effect of meditation was computed for each study.
The results showed that meditation is effective at reducing at negative emotions, including stress (d = 0.32), depression (d = 0.26), and PTSD symptoms (d = 0.76). Based on these results, meditation should be recommended as a method for helping people cope with negative experiences
