The pace at which the body recovers does not necessarily match the pace at which the mind recovers. For people who have experienced a stroke, depression has long been cited as a factor that affects the speed of rehabilitation. A research team at Qingdao Municipal Hospital (Qingdao Municipal Hospital) compiled and analysed eight randomised controlled trials that examined what effect mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) after stroke has on depression. The team published the findings in the international academic journal Frontiers in Psychiatry on 8 May 2026.
Eight studies from three countries, between 2012 and 2025
The studies included in the analysis are eight randomised controlled trials published between 2012 and 2025. Two came from the United States, one from Sweden, and five from China, with a total of 469 participants. Of these, 233 were in the group that received a mindfulness programme and 236 were in the control group. The programme was conducted mostly in group sessions once a week over eight weeks, while some ran for six weeks. The content involves training to notice the present moment without judgement, including body scans and mindfulness meditation, as well as gentle yoga. The first author is Yongsheng Li. The co-authors are Ying Sun and Shirong Bo.
Depression scores fell clearly
When the eight studies were combined, the group that received the mindfulness programme showed depression scores that were significantly lower than those in the control group (standardised mean difference SMD=-0.96, 95% confidence interval -1.35~-0.58, P〈0.001). This is a not-small effect size in psychological intervention research.
However, the research team also wrote alongside the figures that readers should not take these numbers at face value. Heterogeneity, which indicates how widely results varied between studies, was as high as 71.0%, and the 95% prediction interval that takes account of future research included the possibility of no effect, spanning from -1.95 to 0.03.
Where and when it was done changed the results
In subgroup analyses, results varied depending on the conditions. In studies conducted in Asia, the effect was clear (SMD=-1.27, P〈0.001), but in non-Asian populations it was not significant (SMD=-0.31, P=0.17). The research team pointed to the possibility that differences in cultural context may have played a role, but said there is still no data that directly tested this.
It also differed by timing. The effect was confirmed when the intervention began after the condition had stabilised (SMD=-1.02, P〈0.001), but it was not significant when started in the acute phase (SMD=-0.80, P=0.14). In other words, the way the programme to work with the mind is introduced may change the outcome.
The quality of the evidence is 'low'
The research team rated the overall certainty of the evidence as 'low'. They said that, due to the nature of psychological intervention studies, blinding participants and assessors is difficult, so most of the original studies were assessed as having a high risk of bias. They added that the heterogeneity is large and that the number of included studies is only eight, which reduces the precision of the estimates. The team also noted that most trials did not report long-term follow-up results.
In Korea as well, efforts to introduce programmes that address the mind in rehabilitation settings are continuing. This analysis shows that possibility, while also leaving the point that if the same outcome is to be achieved, it may not be enough to decide only whether and how to apply such programmes; the team suggests that it must also be designed to determine at what time, and for whom, they should be applied.
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