Loving-kindness meditations involve sending feelings of kindness and care to a series of people including oneself, loved ones, strangers, and all beings. Loving-kindness interventions (LKIs), which include knowledge and/or practice related to loving-kindness, have been gaining attention as a potential intervention for improving mental health in adults. This meta-analysis synthesized the effects of LKIs on both positive (i.e., mindfulness, compassion, positive affect) and negative (i.e., negative affect, psychological symptoms) indices of mental health across comparison types (i.e., passive control, active control, alternative treatment) and general sample types (i.e., community, university), and explored characteristics of LKIs that may impact their effectiveness (i.e., intervention format, intervention length, presence/absence of a live facilitator). Following a systematic review of six databases in November 2023, 23 randomized controlled studies met eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Relative to passive control groups, LKIs had positive effects on mindfulness, compassion, positive affect, negative affect, and psychological symptoms; these effects were non-significant relative to active control groups and alternative therapeutic treatments. Notably, the effects of LKIs did not differ as a function of sample type, intervention format, intervention length, or the presence/absence of a live facilitator. Findings provide support for the effectiveness of LKIs relative to passive control conditions, as well as their potential comparability to alternative evidence-based therapeutic treatments, and provide insight into resource-effective approaches to the delivery of effective LKIs. However, additional studies are needed to confirm the impacts of LKIs relative to other interventions in the field.

中文翻译：

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慈心干预对积极和消极心理健康结果的影响：系统评价和荟萃分析


慈心冥想涉及向一系列的人发送仁慈和关怀的感觉，包括自己、所爱的人、陌生人和一切众生。慈爱干预（LKI），包括与慈爱相关的知识和/或实践，作为改善成人心理健康的潜在干预措施而受到关注。这项荟萃分析综合了 LKI 对比较类型（即被动控制、主动控制、替代性控制）的积极（即正念、同情心、积极情感）和消极（即消极情感、心理症状）心理健康指数的影响。治疗）和一般样本类型（即社区、大学），并探讨了可能影响其有效性的 LKI 特征（即干预形式、干预长度、现场主持人的存在/不存在）。 2023 年 11 月对 6 个数据库进行系统审查后，23 项随机对照研究符合资格标准并被纳入审查。相对于被动对照组，LKI 对正念、同情心、积极情感、消极情感和心理症状有积极影响；相对于活性对照组和替代治疗方法，这些影响并不显着。值得注意的是，LKI 的效果并不因样本类型、干预形式、干预长度或现场主持人是否存在而有所不同。研究结果为 LKI 相对于被动控制条件的有效性及其与替代循证治疗的潜在可比性提供了支持，并为提供有效 LKI 的资源有效方法提供了见解。 然而，还需要更多的研究来确认 LKI 相对于该领域其他干预措施的影响。