Abstracts

Introduction:

Despite increasing interest in complementary and integrative health (CIH) interventions for treating Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comprehensive evidence is lacking. This review aims to synthesize evidence regarding benefits of CIH interventions for improving mental health and quality of life among Veterans with PTSD in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Methods:

We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and AMED for studies that enrolled Veterans with PTSD and their families from Five Eyes countries from 2013 to December 2023, evaluated CIH interventions, and assessed changes in mental health outcomes using validated scales. We pooled estimates of effectiveness when reported by more than one study and assessed certainty of evidence using GRADE.

Results:

Twenty-six randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies with 3,321 participants (84.4% male, median age 51.4 y) were included. Moderate-quality evidence suggests meditation (weighted mean difference: -10.66, 95% CI, -15.00 to -6.32) reduces PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety greater than the minimal important difference (MID). Moderate-quality evidence suggests Sudarshan Kriya Yoga and emotional freedom techniques result in clinically meaningful improvements in PTSD and other mental health outcomes, but the evidence base is very limited. High- to moderate-quality evidence for mantram repetition and moderate-quality evidence for mindfulness-based stress reduction suggest reduced PTSD and depression symptoms by less than one MID and improved quality of life.

Discussion:

Meditation may result in clinically meaningful reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety for Veterans. Further rigorous research is warranted to better understand effectiveness of CIH interventions for Veterans with PTSD.

DOI link: doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2025-0068