Objective. To assess the effect of
meditation on
work stress, anxiety and mood in full-time workers. Methods. 178 adult workers participated in an 8-week, 3-arm randomized controlled trial comparing a "mental silence" approach to
meditation (n = 59) to a "relaxation" active control (n = 56) and a wait-list control (n = 63). Participants were assessed before and after using Psychological Strain Questionnaire (PSQ), a subscale of the larger
Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI), the State component of the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI), and the depression-dejection (DD) subscale of the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results. There was a significant improvement for the
meditation group compared to both the relaxation control and the wait-list groups the PSQ (P = .026), and DD (P = .019). Conclusions. Mental silence-orientated
meditation, in this case Sahaja Yoga
meditation, is a safe and effective strategy for dealing with
work stress and depressive feelings. The findings suggest that "thought reduction" or "mental silence" may have specific effects relevant to
work stress and hence occupational health.