Contemplative interventions and employee distress: A meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Contemplative interventions (e.g., mindfulness, meditation) are increasingly used in workplaces for employee mental health.
• Concerns exist that adoption outpaces scientific evidence, potentially leading to misapplication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To meta-analytically evaluate the efficacy of contemplative interventions in reducing employee psychological distress.
• To examine moderators of intervention effectiveness and the impact of study biases.

Main Methods:

• Meta-analysis of 119 studies (N=6,044 employees) on contemplative interventions.
• Analysis of moderators including intervention type and control group design.
• Assessment and adjustment for publication bias and other biases.

Main Results:

• Contemplative interventions showed small to moderate, sustained effects in reducing employee distress.
• Intervention effectiveness varied based on intervention type and control group.
• Evidence of publication bias was found, particularly in uncontrolled studies, inflating effect sizes.

Conclusions:

• Contemplative interventions are generally effective for reducing employee distress.
• Adjusting for bias reduced overall effect sizes.
• Proactive strategies are needed to mitigate inflated effect sizes and ensure appropriate workplace application.