Reduced Trauma Symptoms and Perceived Stress in Male Prison Inmates through the Transcendental Meditation Program: A
Sanford Nidich1, Tom O'connor2, Thomas Rutledge3
1Professor and the Director of the Center for Social and Emotional Health at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, IA. snidich@mum.edu.
Context:
Trauma events are four times more prevalent in inmates than in the general public and are associated with increased recidivism and other mental and physical health issues.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on trauma symptoms in male inmates.
Design:
One hundred eighty-one inmates with a moderate- to high-risk criminal profile were randomly assigned to either the TM program or to a usual care control group.
Main Outcome Measures:
The Trauma Symptom Checklist and the Perceived Stress Scale were administered at baseline and four-month posttest.
Results:
Significant reductions in total trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and sleep disturbance subscales, and perceived stress in the TM group were found compared with controls (all p values < 0.001). The high-trauma subgroup analysis further showed a higher magnitude of effects in the TM group compared with controls on all outcomes, with Cohen effect sizes ranging from 0.67 to 0.89.
Conclusion:
Results are consistent with those of prior studies of the TM program in other populations and its effects on trauma symptoms and perceived stress.
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