Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation App on Subjective Well-Being in Undergraduate University Students

University of Toronto

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stress, Psychological

Treatments: Behavioral: Mindfulness Training App; Behavioral: Cognitive Training With 2048

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03783793

32099

Details and patient eligibility

About

Mindfulness training includes a variety of contemplative practices aimed at promoting intentional awareness of experience, coupled with attitudes of non-judgment and curiosity. Following the success of 8-week, manualized group interventions, mindfulness training has been implemented in a variety of modalities, including smartphone apps that seek to replicate the success of group interventions. However, although smartphone apps are scalable and accessible to a wider swath of population, their benefits remain largely untested. This study aimed to investigate a newly developed mindfulness training app called Wildflowers, which was co-developed with the laboratory for use in mindfulness research. It was hypothesized that 3 weeks of mindfulness training through this app would improve subjective well-being, attentional control, and interoceptive integration, albeit with weaker effects than those published in the 8 week, manualized group intervention literature.

Full description

Background: Mindfulness training includes a variety of contemplative practices aimed at promoting intentional awareness of experience, coupled with attitudes of non-judgment and curiosity. Following the success of 8-week, manualized group interventions, mindfulness training has been implemented in a variety of modalities, including smartphone apps that seek to replicate the success of group interventions. However, although smartphone apps are scalable and accessible to a wider swath of population, their benefits remain largely untested. This study aimed to investigate a newly developed mindfulness training app called Wildflowers, which was co-developed with the laboratory for use in mindfulness research. It was hypothesized that 3 weeks of mindfulness training through this app would improve subjective well-being, attentional control, and interoceptive integration, albeit with weaker effects than those published in the 8 week, manualized group intervention literature.

Methods: Undergraduate students completed 3 weeks of mindfulness training with Wildflowers or 3 weeks of cognitive training with a game called 2048. State training effects were assessed through pre- and postsession ratings of current mood, stress level, and heart rate. Trait training effects were assessed through pre- and postintervention questionnaires canvassing subjective well-being and behavioral task measures of attentional control and interoceptive integration. State and trait training data were analyzed in a multilevel model using emergent latent factors (acceptance, awareness, and openness) to summarize the trait questionnaire battery.

Enrollment: 108 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
• Be fluent in english
• Own an iPhone, iPad, or iPod with access to the internet

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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108 participants in 2 patient groups

Mindfulness Training App

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mindfulness Training App

Cognitive Training With 2048

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive Training With 2048