Storytelling and Mindfulness for Graduate Student Wellbeing

University of Wisconsin (UW)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Burnout, Student; Depression; Anxiety

Treatments: Behavioral: Storytelling Workshop; Behavioral: Mindfulness Practice

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05826860

2022-1560

CALS/PLANT PATHOLOGY (Other Identifier)

MSN269425 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

2023-03-08 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an intervention for improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) graduate student wellbeing. Participants will be recruited from the University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student body. Data will be collected from participants for up to 2 years, and the investigators anticipate that the study will last for 4 years.

Full description

The objective of this research is to evaluate the utility of storytelling and mindfulness practice in improving wellbeing in STEM graduate students. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does engaging in mindfulness practice and storytelling increase measures of wellbeing in this population?
2. Does engaging in mindfulness practice and storytelling increase measures of academic success?

Participants will be asked to:

• complete a survey evaluating wellbeing and academic success
• attend 2 storytelling workshops
• use a guided mindfulness mobile app for 2 weeks

Researchers will compare survey results from participants in the control group (no intervention, survey only) to those from participants in the intervention group (workshops, mindfulness, and survey) to see if the measures of wellbeing and academic success differ between groups.

Enrollment: 20 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 or older
• Current graduate student in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• No significant experience with mindfulness practice

Exclusion criteria

• Under 18
• Significant experience with mindfulness practice
• Not a current graduate student in a STEM field at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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20 participants in 2 patient groups

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Survey only, no mindfulness/storytelling intervention

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Mindfulness and storytelling workshop intervention plus survey

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mindfulness Practice

Behavioral: Storytelling Workshop