Journal of Aging and Health, Ahead of Print.
ObjectivesTo assess whether mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) affect mental health and cognitive abilities in older adults.MethodsA systematic search was performed in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to June 2023. Weight mean difference and 95% confidence intervals were provided as summary statistics.ResultsIn total, 26 articles were eligible. Overall, MBIs showed a statistically significant improvement in depression, anxiety, quality of life, and working memory compared to controls. However, no significant effects of MBIs on other cognitive parameters were found. In moderator analysis, less than eight weeks of MBIs showed greater improvement in anxiety and quality of life than longer periods. There was no evidence for publication bias.DiscussionMindfulness-based interventions can be an encouraging alternative in place of conventional treatments in improving depression, anxiety, quality of life and working memory in cognition among older adults. However, findings strongly recommend future research to have definite conclusion.