Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation App on Subjective Well-Being: Active Randomized Controlled Trial and Experience Sampling Study.
Author: Walsh KM1, Saab BJ2,3,4,5, Farb NA6
Affiliation:
1Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.
2Mobio Interactive Inc, Biomedical Zone, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
3Preclinical Laboratory for Translational Research into Affective Disorders, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
4Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
5Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
6Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
Conference/Journal: JMIR Ment Health.
Date published: 2019 Jan 8
Other:
Volume ID: 6 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: e10844 , Special Notes: doi: 10.2196/10844. , Word Count: 409
BACKGROUND: Mindfulness training (MT) includes a variety of contemplative practices aimed at promoting intentional awareness of experience, coupled with attitudes of nonjudgment and curiosity. Following the success of 8-week, manualized group interventions, MT 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.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate a newly developed MT app called Wildflowers, which was codeveloped with the laboratory for use in mindfulness research. It was hypothesized that 3 weeks of MT 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 MT with Wildflowers (n=45) or 3 weeks of cognitive training with a game called 2048 (n=41). 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.
RESULTS: Analyses revealed both state and trait effects specific to MT; participants engaging in MT demonstrated improved mood (r=.14) and a reduction of stress (r=-.13) immediately after each training session compared with before the training session and decreased postsession stress over 3 weeks (r=-.08). In addition, MT relative to cognitive training resulted in greater improvements in attentional control (r=-.24). Interestingly, both groups demonstrated increased subjective ratings of awareness (r=.28) and acceptance (r=.23) from pre- to postintervention, with greater changes in acceptance for the MT group trending (r=.21).
CONCLUSIONS: MT, using a smartphone app, may provide immediate effects on mood and stress while also providing long-term benefits for attentional control. Although further investigation is warranted, there is evidence that with continued usage, MT via a smartphone app may provide long-term benefits in changing how one relates to their inner and outer experiences.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03783793; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03783793 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/75EF2ehst).
©Kathleen Marie Walsh, Bechara J Saab, Norman AS Farb. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 08.01.2019.
KEYWORDS: attention; interoception; mindfulness; mobile health; mood; stress, psychological
PMID: 30622094 DOI: 10.2196/10844
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