Database Unwanted Effects Of Meditation

<strong>Objectives: </strong>Despite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the meditation practices. <strong>Methods: </strong>An online survey was developed and disseminated through several websites, such as Spanish-, English- and Portuguese-language scientific research portals related to mindfulness and meditation. After excluding people who did not answer the survey correctly or completely and those who had less than two months of meditation experience, a total of 342 people participated in the study. However, only 87 reported information about UEs. <strong>Results: </strong>The majority of the practitioners were women from Spain who were married and had a University education level. Practices were more frequently informal, performed on a daily basis, and followed by focused attention (FA). Among the participants, 25.4% reported UEs, showing that severity varies considerably. The information requested indicated that most of the UEs were transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance. They were more frequently reported in relation to individual practice, during focused attention meditation, and when practising for more than 20 minutes and alone. The practice of body awareness was associated with UEs to a lesser extent, whereas focused attention was associated more with UEs. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the first large-scale, multi-cultural study on the UEs of meditation. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that UEs are prevalent and transitory and should be further studied. We recommend the use of standardized questionnaires to assess the UEs of meditation practices.<strong>研究目的：</strong>尽管冥想（meditation）与基于正念的干预手段（mindfulness-based interventions）已被长期应用且经循证医学证实有效，但目前仍缺乏关于此类实践可能产生的不良影响（unwanted effects，简称UEs）的相关数据。本研究旨在评估冥想修习者群体中不良影响的发生情况，并纳入冥想类型、练习频率及终生修习时长等调节因素进行分析。<strong>研究方法：</strong>本研究通过多个覆盖西班牙语、英语及葡萄牙语的冥想与正念相关科学研究门户网站开发并发布了在线调查问卷。在剔除未正确或完整作答、且冥想修习时长不足两个月的受试者后，最终共有342人参与本研究，但其中仅87人提供了与不良影响相关的有效信息。<strong>研究结果：</strong>受试群体以来自西班牙的已婚女性为主，且均接受过高等教育。受试者更常进行非正式冥想练习，每日坚持修习，并多采用集中注意力冥想（focused attention，简称FA）方式。在参与调查的受试者中，25.4%的人报告出现了不良影响，且不良影响的严重程度存在显著个体差异。调查数据显示，多数不良影响为一过性，并未导致受试者停止冥想修习或需要寻求医疗援助。不良影响更频繁地出现在个体独自练习、采用集中注意力冥想、单次练习时长超过20分钟的场景中。身体觉知类冥想与不良影响的关联程度相对较低，而集中注意力冥想则与不良影响的关联更为密切。<strong>研究结论：</strong>本研究是首个针对冥想不良影响的大规模多文化研究。尽管存在一定局限性，但本研究结果表明，冥想的不良影响具有一定普遍性且多为一过性，有待进一步深入探究。我们建议采用标准化问卷对冥想实践的不良影响进行评估。