{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T06:15:46Z","timestamp":1783664146199,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783641600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Glob. Women\u2019s Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>There are currently more than 750 million women worldwide aged 40\u201360 years, the age during which the majority undergo menopausal transition. This period is often marked by challenging symptoms that affect physical and mental health, productivity, and quality of life, sometimes becoming severe enough to compromise personal and professional relationships. A substantial proportion of women experience mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression and cognitive complaints. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promising results in alleviating menopausal symptoms and represent a safe, self-managing alternative or complement to pharmacological treatments.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To consolidate and review the current state of the literature on the effectiveness of MBIs for mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and cognitive function in women undergoing natural menopause.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. It included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials of MBIs in women undergoing natural menopause. The outcomes of interest were mental health, including anxiety, depression, and cognitive function. Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Searches were performed up to October 2025. Reference lists and specialist journals were also hand searched. The methodological quality and risk of bias of the included studies were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). An exploratory random-effects meta-analysis was conducted where measurement consistency permitted.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Ten studies (eight randomized controlled trials and two quasi-experimental designs), including a total of 1,270 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Six studies assessed psychosocial quality of life using the MENQOL Psychosocial Domain, enabling meta-analysis; a large pooled effect favoured MBIs (Hedges'\n                      <jats:italic>g<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009\u22121.06,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001). Secondary outcomes of anxiety and depression, measured independently, showed smaller effects. No study assessed cognitive function using validated cognitive instruments.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Preliminary evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions may improve mental health symptoms during natural menopause. The discrepancy between composite psychosocial effects and standalone mood effects may reflect measurement differences between menopause-specific and generic instruments, or suggest that cognitive complaints contribute to the observed benefits. However, substantial methodological limitations temper confidence in these findings. Future research should prioritise validated cognitive assessment as an independent outcome, investigation of practice dose required to maintain benefits, and comparative effectiveness trials against established treatments.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fgwh.2026.1830813","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T05:38:14Z","timestamp":1783661894000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health in natural menopause: a systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Flavia","family":"Bonfadini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Paplauskaite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michelle","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruimin","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mark","family":"Kennedy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","year":"2023"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0207885","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0207885","article-title":"Increased Alzheimer\u2019s risk during the menopause transition: a 3-year longitudinal brain imaging study","volume":"13","author":"Mosconi","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"117","DOI":"10.4103\/jmh.jmh_34_23","article-title":"A cross-sectional assessment of depression, anxiety, and cognition in perimenopausal and menopausal women","volume":"14","author":"Nagda","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Midlife Health"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"474","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2024.05.051","article-title":"Global prevalence of depression in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"358","author":"Jia","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1213","DOI":"10.1097\/GME.0000000000001424","article-title":"The menopause transition and women\u2019s health at midlife: a progress report from the study of women\u2019s health across the nation (SWAN)","volume":"26","author":"El Khoudary","year":"2019","journal-title":"Menopause"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1089\/152460901750269670","article-title":"Midlife women\u2019s attributions about perceived memory changes: observations from the Seattle midlife women\u2019s health study","volume":"10","author":"Sullivan Mitchell","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Womens Health Gend Based Med"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"165","DOI":"10.1177\/10398562231165439","article-title":"Does menopause elevate the risk for developing depression and anxiety? Results from a systematic review","volume":"31","author":"Alblooshi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Australas Psychiatry"},{"key":"B8","first-page":"311","article-title":"The relative burden of menopausal and postmenopausal symptoms versus other Major conditions: a retrospective analysis of the medical expenditure panel survey data","volume":"10","author":"Assaf","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am Health Drug Benefits"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"833","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mayocp.2023.02.025","article-title":"Impact of menopause symptoms on women in the workplace","volume":"98","author":"Faubion","year":"2023","journal-title":"Mayo Clin Proc"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e072612","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj-2022-072612","article-title":"Management of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms","volume":"382","author":"Duralde","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br Med J"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1126","DOI":"10.1097\/GME.0000000000001597","article-title":"Effects of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions on menopause-related quality of life: a pooled analysis of individual participant data from four MsFLASH trials","volume":"27","author":"Diem","year":"2020","journal-title":"Menopause"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1600-0447.2011.01704.x","article-title":"Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials","volume":"124","author":"Fjorback","year":"2011","journal-title":"Acta Psychiatr Scand"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1957","DOI":"10.1007\/s12671-019-01163-1","article-title":"Effects of brief mindfulness-based interventions on health-related outcomes: a systematic review","volume":"10","author":"Howarth","year":"2019","journal-title":"Mindfulness (N Y)"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1045642","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.1045642","article-title":"The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety, depression, stress, and mindfulness in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"10","author":"Liu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"337","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2025.04.029","article-title":"The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on menopausal symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","volume":"381","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"n71","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.n71","article-title":"The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews","volume":"372","author":"Page","year":"2021","journal-title":"Br Med J"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"d5928","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.d5928","article-title":"The cochrane collaboration\u2019s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials","volume":"343","author":"Higgins","year":"2011","journal-title":"Br Med J"},{"key":"B18","article-title":"The Newcastle\u2013Ottawa scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of non-randomized studies in meta-analysis","author":"Wells","year":"2000"},{"key":"B19","volume-title":"JASP (Version 0.97.0) [computer Software]","year":"2026"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"169","DOI":"10.4103\/jmh.jmh_178_21","article-title":"How effective the mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy on quality of life in women with menopause","volume":"13","author":"John","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Midlife Health"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5812\/ijpbs.86525","article-title":"The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on quality of life in perimenopausal women","author":"Enjezab","year":"2019","journal-title":"Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"d4002","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.d4002","article-title":"Recommendations for examining and interpreting funnel plot asymmetry in meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials","volume":"343","author":"Sterne","year":"2011","journal-title":"Br Med J"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"573","DOI":"10.1080\/03630242.2024.2382420","article-title":"The effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction program applied to postmenopausal women on insomnia and quality of life","volume":"64","author":"\u015eener \u00c7etin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Women Health"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105277","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psyneuen.2021.105277","article-title":"Endocrine and psychosocial moderators of mindfulness-based stress reduction for the prevention of perimenopausal depressive symptoms: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"130","author":"Gordon","year":"2021","journal-title":"Psychoneuroendocrinology"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"611","DOI":"10.1097\/gme.0b013e318204a05c","article-title":"Mindfulness training for coping with hot flashes: results of a randomized trial","volume":"18","author":"Carmody","year":"2011","journal-title":"Menopause"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1159","DOI":"10.1210\/jc.2011-3362","article-title":"STRAW+10 collaborative group. Executive summary of the stages of reproductive aging workshop+10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging","volume":"97","author":"Harlow","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Clin Endocrinol Metab"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"874","DOI":"10.1016\/S0015-0282(01)02909-0","article-title":"Executive summary: stages of reproductive aging workshop (STRAW)","volume":"76","author":"Soules","year":"2001","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6609","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-018-24945-4","article-title":"Mindfulness-Based stress reduction (MBSR) or psychoeducation for the reduction of menopausal symptoms: a randomized, controlled clinical trial","volume":"8","author":"Wong","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101478","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ctcp.2021.101478","article-title":"The effects of mindfulness stress reduction program on postmenopausal women\u2019s menopausal complaints and their life quality","volume":"45","author":"\u015eener","year":"2021","journal-title":"Complement Ther Clin Pract"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101398","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ctcp.2021.101398","article-title":"A study of mindfulness-based stress-reduction training effects on menopause-specific quality of life in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"44","author":"Yazdani Aliabadi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Complement Ther Clin Pract"},{"key":"B31","first-page":"2016","article-title":"Anxiety disorder in menopausal women and the intervention efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction","volume":"15","author":"Huang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Am J Transl Res"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1097\/GME.0000000000002402","article-title":"The effects of acupressure, laughter yoga, and a mindfulness-based stress reduction program applied to postmenopausal women for menopause symptoms and quality of life","volume":"31","author":"Koca","year":"2024","journal-title":"Menopause"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1016\/0163-8343(82)90026-3","article-title":"An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: theoretical considerations and preliminary results","volume":"4","author":"Kabat-Zinn","year":"1982","journal-title":"Gen Hosp Psychiatry"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"161","DOI":"10.1016\/s0378-5122(96)82006-8","article-title":"A menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire: development and psychometric properties","volume":"24","author":"Hilditch","year":"1996","journal-title":"Maturitas"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1111\/cen.14856","article-title":"The effect of hormone replacement therapy on cognition and mood","volume":"98","author":"Sharma","year":"2023","journal-title":"Clin Endocrinol (Oxf)"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"677","DOI":"10.1007\/s11065-021-09519-y","article-title":"The effect of mindfulness-based programs on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"32","author":"Whitfield","year":"2022","journal-title":"Neuropsychol Rev"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Global Women's Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fgwh.2026.1830813\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T05:38:16Z","timestamp":1783661896000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fgwh.2026.1830813\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]]},"references-count":36,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fgwh.2026.1830813"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fgwh.2026.1830813","relation":{},"ISSN":["2673-5059"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2673-5059","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]]},"article-number":"1830813"}}