Breath Meditation on the Older People (MEDITATION)

The Effect of a Breathing Meditation Program on Perceived Stress, Sense of Integrity, and Quality of Life in the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Study

A decrease in physical activity during old age leads to a decline in quality of life and life satisfaction. Increased stress and anxiety levels during this period negatively affect individuals' mood and reduce their quality of life. Individuals with a strong sense of coherence cope more effectively with stress and maintain a higher quality of life. Breathing meditation is a side-effect-free and easily applicable method that reduces the effects of stress by increasing individual awareness. Mindfulness-based breathing practices contribute to mental calmness and a healthier coping with stress. Experimental studies evaluating the effects of breathing meditation on stress, sense of coherence, and quality of life in older individuals are limited in the literature. This study aimed to determine the effects of a breathing meditation program on perceived stress, sense of coherence, and quality of life in older individuals.

The study was conducted with a randomized controlled experimental design between October 2024 and September 2025 with 128 participants (63 in the experimental group and 65 in the control group). Data were collected using the Participant Information Form, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Sense of Personal Integrity Scale (SWI), and the Quality of Life Scale for the Elderly (WHOQOL-OLD). Individuals in the experimental group received a 15-minute breathing meditation session daily for 10 days. The control group received no intervention. The scales were administered as a pretest and a posttest after day 15 in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS software; independent and dependent sample t-tests, chi-square tests, and descriptive statistics were used, with a significance level of p<0.05.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Individuals Over 65 Years of Age
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: breathing meditation

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 128
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Sinop, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Sinop University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals aged 65 years and above,
• who volunteered to participate,
• had no communication difficulties,
• had not previously received any training or practice related to relaxation, breathing, or stress management.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having received any training or practice in relaxation, breathing or stress management before.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Interventional; Individuals in the experimental group were given a 15-minute breathing meditation session every day for 10 days.	Other: breathing meditation; Individuals in the experimental group were given a 15-minute breathing meditation session every day for 10 days.
No Intervention: Control; No-application group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Participant Information Form	The Participant Information Form was developed by the researchers in line with the literature and included sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, educational level, and living situation	Baseline- first day
Perceived Stress Scale	The scale consists of 14 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("never") to 4 ("very often"), with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived stress. Negatively worded items are reverse-scored, and the total score ranges from 0 to 56.	Baseline (First day)
The Sense of Coherence Scale	The scale consists of 13 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale, and higher scores indicate a stronger sense of coherence. The SOC captures how individuals understand and respond to life events, their perceived ability to manage challenges, and the meaningfulness they attribute to life experiences.	Baseline (First day)
WHOQOL-OLD (World Health Organization Quality of Life - Older Adults Module	Quality of life was evaluated using the WHOQOL-OLD scale, developed by the World Health Organization for older adults. The scale includes 24 items covering six domains: sensory abilities, autonomy, past, present, and future activities, social participation, death and dying, and intimacy. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.	Baseline (First day)
Perceived Stress Scale	The scale consists of 14 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("never") to 4 ("very often"), with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived stress. Negatively worded items are reverse-scored, and the total score ranges from 0 to 56.	Post test - Fifteenth day
The Sense of Coherence Scale	The scale consists of 13 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale, and higher scores indicate a stronger sense of coherence. The SOC captures how individuals understand and respond to life events, their perceived ability to manage challenges, and the meaningfulness they attribute to life experiences.	Post test - Fifteenth day
WHOQOL-OLD (World Health Organization Quality of Life - Older Adults Module	Quality of life was evaluated using the WHOQOL-OLD scale, developed by the World Health Organization for older adults. The scale includes 24 items covering six domains: sensory abilities, autonomy, past, present, and future activities, social participation, death and dying, and intimacy. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.	Post test - Fifteenth day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Aydın University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): September 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 23, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 23, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): December 4, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 4, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 23, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of Life; Mindfulness; Older; Breathing Exercises; Psychological Stress; Nursing, Breathing Meditation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Stress, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: Breath Meditation on the Older

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No