Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar 21:2011:537101.
doi: 10.4061/2011/537101.

Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Substance Use among University Students

David A F Haaga  1 , Sarina Grosswald, Carolyn Gaylord-King, Maxwell Rainforth, Melissa Tanner, Fred Travis, Sanford Nidich, Robert H Schneider
Affiliations

Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Substance Use among University Students

David A F Haaga et al. Cardiol Res Pract. .

Abstract

A randomized wait-list controlled trial (N = 295 university students) of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program was conducted in an urban setting. Substance use was assessed by self-report at baseline and 3 months later. For smoking and illicit drug use, there were no significant differences between conditions. For alcohol use, sex X intervention condition interactions were significant; TM instruction lowered drinking rates among male but not female students. TM instruction could play a valuable role in reducing alcohol use among male university students. Limitations are noted, along with suggestions for further research.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hingson RW, Heeren T, Zakocs RC, Kopstein A, Wechsler H. Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. College students ages 18–24. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 2002;63(2):136–144. - PubMed
    1. Njølstad I, Arnesen E, Lund-Larsen PG. Smoking, serum lipids, blood pressure, and sex differences in myocardial infarction: a 12-year follow-up of the Finnmark study. Circulation. 1996;93(3):450–456. - PubMed
    1. Caudill BD, Luckey B, Crosse SB, Blane HT, Ginexi EM, Campbell B. Alcohol risk-reduction skills training in a national fraternity: a randomized intervention trial with longitudinal intent-to-treat analysis. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2007;68(3):399–409. - PubMed
    1. Alexander CN, Robinson P, Rainforth M. Treating and preventing alcohol, nicotine, and drug abuse through Transcendental Meditation: a review and statistical meta-analysis. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. 1994;11(1-2):13–87.
    1. Hawkins MA. Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in criminal rehabilitation and substance abuse recovery: a review of the research. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. 2003;36:47–65.

LinkOut - more resources