Reduced Trauma Symptoms and Perceived Stress in Male Prison Inmates through the Transcendental Meditation Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

CONTEXT: Trauma events are four times more prevalent in inmates than in the general public and are associated with increased recidivism and other mental and physical health issues.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on trauma symptoms in male inmates.

DESIGN: One hundred eighty-one inmates with a moderate- to high-risk criminal profile were randomly assigned to either the TM program or to a usual care control group.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Trauma Symptom Checklist and the Perceived Stress Scale were administered at baseline and four-month posttest.

RESULTS: Significant reductions in total trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and sleep disturbance subscales, and perceived stress in the TM group were found compared with controls (all p values < 0.001). The high-trauma subgroup analysis further showed a higher magnitude of effects in the TM group compared with controls on all outcomes, with Cohen effect sizes ranging from 0.67 to 0.89.

CONCLUSION: Results are consistent with those of prior studies of the TM program in other populations and its effects on trauma symptoms and perceived stress.