A systematic review and meta-analysis of mindfulness based interventions and yoga in inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Mindfulness interventions are increasingly used as a part of integrated treatment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but there are limited data and a lack of consensus regarding effectiveness. Objectives: We explored the efficacy of mindfulness interventions compared to treatment as usual (TAU), or other psychotherapeutic interventions, in treating physical and psychosocial symptoms associated with IBD. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We included a broad range of mindfulness interventions including mindfulness-based interventions and yoga, with no restrictions on date of publication, participants’ age, language or publication type. We searched the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and WHO ICTRP database. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines in conducting the review. Results: We included eight studies in the meta-analysis. Mindfulness interventions showed a statistically significant effect on stress in both the short(SMD = −0.48; 95%CI:–0.97, 0.00; P =.05), and long term(SMD = −0.55; 95%CI:-0.78, −0.32;