Enhancing Rigor in Quantitative Meta-Analyses for Mindfulness Research: A Comprehensive Guide

Abstract Meta-analyses are considered the highest level of evidence in research design, providing a quantitatively estimated effect size for an outcome of interest pooled from some or all primary studies on a particular topic. The usefulness and accuracy of a meta-analysis depend on the rigor of the included studies and the methods adopted by the meta-analyst. In recent years, the number of meta-analyses in the field of mindfulness has increased, but the relative rigor of meta-analyses on mindfulness research has varied. Our aim with this report, therefore, is to provide a guide for future authors of mindfulness meta-analyses that offers recommendations and explanations for best practices in meta-analysis. We selected high-quality literature on meta-analyses and used the 19 meta-analyses published in the journal Mindfulness between January 2022 and 2024 to highlight methodological approaches that can enhance the rigor of future meta-analyses on mindfulness research. Although instructive content already exists on meta-analytic techniques, in this work, we brought together meta-analytic recommendations specific to mindfulness studies. We reviewed current literature on meta-analytics and now present recommendations for meta-analytic methods, reporting of meta-analytic results, and what to include in discussion sections. The present article also provides an overall checklist of mandatory and recommended items to be included in a meta-analysis.