OBJECTIVES: The objective of this systematic review was to investigate the role of mind-body modalities (MBMs) in managing the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS: Six electronic databases were comprehensively searched (Jan 2019 to Sep 2021), to find original prospective quantitative intervention studies of MBMs for HCWs. MBMs defined in this study included meditation, mindfulness-based intervention, autogenic training, yoga, tai chi, qigong, breathing exercises, music therapy, guided imagery, biofeedback, prayer, and faith-based techniques. The primary outcome was the level of perceived stress. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the corresponding assessment tools including the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. If there were 2 or more controlled clinical trials with the same outcome measures, a meta-analysis was performed.

RESULTS: Total 18 relevant studies including 5 randomized controlled trials were included. In the results of meta-analysis, MBMs significantly improved the perceived stress (standardized mean difference, −0.37; 95% confidence intervals, −0.53 to −0.21), depression (−0.29; −0.45 to −0.12), and anxiety (−0.43; −0.59 to −0.27) of HCWs. Subgroup analysis showed that yoga- and music-based interventions had the largest effect size on the perceived stress. Moreover, some MBMs had significant benefits on burnout, insomnia, mindfulness, self-compassion, quality of life, resilience, and well-being, but not on psychological trauma and self-efficacy of HCWs. Despite of the promising results, the methodological quality of the included studies was not optimal.

CONCLUSIONS: According to our findings, there was evidence that some MBMs including yoga- and music-based interventions are helpful for improvement for perceived stress of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Promising potential benefits of MBMs were also observed for some other mental health outcomes. However, owing to poor methodological quality and heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes of the included studies, further high-quality clinical trials are needed on this topic.