Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes

Abstract

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) emphasize the importance of mindfulness practice at home as an integral part of the program. However, the extent to which participants complete their assigned practice is not yet clear, nor is it clear whether this practice is associated with positive outcomes.For this systematic review and meta-analysis, searches were performed using Scopus and PubMed for studies published through to the end of 2015, reporting on formal home practice of mindfulness by MBSR or MBCT participants.Across 43 studies (N = 1427), the pooled estimate for participants' home practice was 64% of the assigned amount, equating to about 30 minutes per day, six days per week [95% CI 60–69%]. There was substantial heterogeneity associated with this estimate. Across 28 studies (N = 898), there was a small but significant association between participants’ self-reported home practice and intervention outcomes (r = 0·26, 95% CI 0·19,–0·34).MBSR and MBCT participants report completing substantial formal mindfulness practice at home over the eight-week intervention, albeit less than assigned amounts. There is a small but significant association between the extent of formal practice and positive intervention outcomes for a wide range of participants.

Mind the Teachers! The Impact of Mindfulness Training on Self-Regulation and Classroom Performance in a Sample of German School Teachers

“…The program requires a high practice commitment: Participants are asked to practice 40 minutes of formal meditation on six days per week. A recent meta-analysis concluded that the time spent on home practice was linked to improvements in mindfulness, well-being, and stress-related symptoms (Parsons, Crane, Parsons, Fjorback, & Kuyken, 2017).…”

Improving emotion regulation and mood in teacher trainees: Effectiveness of two mindfulness trainings

“…A crucial method to control the dose of mindfulness training needed is via assigning varying amounts of homework practice. A recent meta‐analysis demonstrated small to moderate associations between the extent of homework practice and outcomes of mindfulness training (Parsons, Crane, Parsons, Fjorback, & Kuyken, ). The authors suggest considering further participant engagement variables, such as quality of homework practice (Vettese, Toneatto, Stea, Nguyen, & Wang, ), so that the relationship between training and outcomes can be more fully explained.…”

Is less more? A randomized comparison of home practice time in a mind-body program

“…Prescribed daily home practice is commonly regarded as one of the key therapeutic elements of these programs and as essential for treatment benefit as exercise is for muscle growth (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Home practice is often viewed within the framework of skill development which requires regular rehearsal for mastery and gaining the desired outcome (Parsons, Crane, Parsons, Fjorback, & Kuyken, 2017). Maximizing amount of home practice is thus a high priority in mind-body interventions (Crane et al, 2014).…”

“…Maximizing amount of home practice is thus a high priority in mind-body interventions (Crane et al, 2014). However, home practice may pose a burden on participants, and a compliance is highly variable (Parsons et al, 2017). Importantly, the relationship between amount of prescribed practice, the degree to which participants comply with their prescribed practice, and clinical outcome is currently unclear.…”

“…Cadmus-Bertram et al, 2013; Davidson & Kabat-Zinn, 2004; Speed-Andrews, Stevinson, Belanger, Mirus, & Courneya, 2010). A recent meta-analysis of Mindfulness-Based interventions (Parsons et al, 2017) found substantial heterogeneity in the amount of reported home practice, with a weak (r=.26) yet statistically significant association between self-reported home practice and outcome. However, the correlational/observational approach in these studies may be severely confounded by individual differences and other factors.…”