Multi-site evaluation of a complementary, spiritually-based intervention for Veterans: The Mantram Repetition Program

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Veterans experience significant quality of life impacts from mental and physical symptoms.
• Conventional treatments are insufficient for many Veterans seeking complementary symptom management.
• Previous trials showed the Mantram Repetition Program (MRP) improved psychological distress and spiritual well-being, but real-world data was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the real-world effectiveness of the Mantram Repetition Program (MRP) for Veterans.
• To assess patient satisfaction and symptom outcomes in a naturalistic setting.
• To explore the impact of facilitator training methods on MRP outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A naturalistic study analyzed outcomes from 273 Veterans participating in MRP across six sites.
• Standardized measures assessed patient satisfaction, anxiety, depression, somatization, spiritual well-being, and mindfulness.
• Outcomes were analyzed in relation to facilitator training methods.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in all measured outcomes, including psychological distress, spiritual well-being, and mindfulness (p < .001).
• Patient satisfaction with the Mantram Repetition Program was high.
• Outcomes were consistent regardless of the facilitator training methods used.

Conclusions:

• The Mantram Repetition Program (MRP) was successfully disseminated in a real-world setting.
• MRP demonstrated significant benefits for Veterans' psychological distress, spiritual well-being, and mindfulness.
• The findings support MRP as an effective complementary intervention for Veterans.