Brief Trainings to Buffer Against Acute Stress Effects

University of Wisconsin (UW)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Loving-Kindness meditation training; Behavioral: Gratitude; Behavioral: Control; Behavioral: Breath Awareness meditation training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02214264

MLK2014 (Other Identifier)

2014-0572

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of several brief trainings based on contemplative practices and positive psychology to buffer against the negative effects that acute stress has on behavior and cognitive abilities. The investigators hypothesize that training will buffer against negative effects of acute stress.

Full description

Participants will be taught a stress reducing training (breath awareness, loving kindness practice, gratitude exercise) and will practice using this technique for 10-15 minutes. Following this, all participants will undergo the Cold Pressor Task (CPT) for up to 3 minutes.

Before and after these tasks, participant data related to attention, working memory, self regulation, affect, and prosociality will be collected.

Enrollment: 172 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• undergraduate psychology recruitment pool

Exclusion criteria

• non-native English speakers, pregnant women

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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172 participants in 4 patient groups

Loving-Kindness training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive Loving-Kindness meditation training for approximately 12 minutes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Loving-Kindness meditation training

Breath Awareness training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive Breath Awareness meditation training for approximately 12 minutes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Breath Awareness meditation training

Gratitude training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive Gratitude training for approximately 12 minutes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Gratitude

Control

Other group

Description:

Participants write and then think about the physical space in which they live (i.e., their home) for approximately 12 minutes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control