Improving happiness, resilience, and self-efficacy while reducing stress for rural Lebanese women using the Transcendental Meditation practice: A randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundWomen in rural Lebanon face ongoing war, corruption, pollution, and inequality. Such chronic instability makes their lives challenging.ObjectivesThis study evaluated the effects of a well-researched meditation practice on countering the stressors these women experience.DesignThis was a randomized controlled trial of 114 rural Lebanese women divided into three cohorts, each measured over a period of three months. Subjects in each cohort were randomized into either the experimental group, who were taught the Transcendental Meditation practice, or an active wait-list control group. The study ran from May to November, 2023.MethodsAll participants were measured at baseline, 1-month, and 3-months using the Perceived Stress Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), the Arabic Scale of Happiness, and the New General Self-Efficacy Scale. Procedures and study design were approved by the Maharishi International University Research Institute Review Board on December 9, 2022. The ethics approval number is IRB-MIU-MVS-2022-1008.ResultsAfter three months of TM practice, the experimental group had significant reductions in perceived stress and significant increases in happiness, resilience, and self-efficacy (P<.001) compared with controls. Compliance was high, with almost 80% reporting daily TM practice. A stepwise multiple discriminant analysis revealed that self-efficacy and perceived stress significantly predicted levels of happiness.ConclusionFindings indicate that TM practice is an effective tool for rural Lebanese women in relieving stress and promoting happiness, resilience, and self-efficacy. It may strengthen the inner person to better cope with existing environmental pressures. Longer studies with a wider Lebanese/Middle East population are needed to confirm these findings.