College athletes are a group often affected by anxiety. Few interventional studies have been conducted to address the anxiety issues in this population. We conducted a mobile-delivered mindfulness intervention among college athletes to study its feasibility and efficacy in lowering their anxiety level and improving their mindfulness (measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ])....
Psychological distress is common among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and has considerable adverse impacts on disease progression and health outcomes. Mindfulness-based intervention is a promising complementary approach to address patients' psychological needs and promote holistic well-being. This study aims to examine the effects of a social media-based mindfulness...
This study replicates and extends findings that "healing attempt"-a brief digital music-based mindfulness intervention-represents a feasible and potentially effective intervention for race-based anxiety in the Black community.
Digital mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are a promising approach to deliver accessible and scalable mindfulness training and have been shown to improve a range of health outcomes. However, the success of digital MBIs is reliant on adequate engagement, which remains a crucial challenge. Understanding people's experiences of using digital MBIs and identifying the core factors that...
Background: Sexual minority women (lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and other nonheterosexual women) remain considerably underrepresented in health research despite being at a higher risk for diabetes and obesity as well as stigma and psychological distress than their heterosexual peers. In addition, early life adversity (ELA) is prevalent among sexual minority women, which further...
The efficacy of digital meditation is well established. However, the extent to which the benefits remain after 12 weeks in real-world settings remains unknown. Additionally, findings related to dosage and practice habits have been mixed, and the studies were conducted on small and homogeneous samples and used a limited range of analytical procedures and meditation techniques. Findings related...
Background: Since 2019, the COVID-19 outbreak has spread around the world, and health care workers, as frontline workers, have faced tremendous psychological stress. Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore whether web-based mindfulness-based interventions continue to have a positive impact on anxiety, depression, and stress among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic....
BackgroundAlthough text messaging has the potential to be the core intervention modality, it is often used as an adjunct only. To improve health and alleviate the distress related to insomnia, pain, and dysregulated eating of people living in urban areas, text messaging–based mindfulness-based interventions were designed and evaluated in 3 randomized controlled trials. ObjectiveThis study...
BackgroundWeb-based mindfulness programs may be beneficial in improving the well-being outcomes of those living with chronic illnesses. Adherence to programs is a key indicator in improving outcomes; however, with the digitization of programs, it is necessary to enhance engagement and encourage people to return to digital health platforms. More information is needed on how engagement strategies...
BACKGROUND: Psychological distress in the early postpartum period can have long-lasting deleterious effects on a mother's well-being and negatively affect her infant's development. Intervention approaches based in contemplative practices such as mindfulness and loving-kindness and compassion are intended to alleviate distress and cultivate well-being and can be delivered effectively as digital...
Contemplative trainings have been found to effectively improve social skills such as empathy and compassion. However, there is a lack of research on the efficacy of app-delivered mindfulness-based and dyadic practices in boosting socioaffective capacity. The first aim of this study was to compare a novel app-delivered, partner-based socioemotional intervention (Affect Dyad) with...
BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based mobile apps have become popular tools for enhancing well-being in today's fast-paced world. Their ability to reduce geographical, financial, and social barriers makes them a promising alternative to traditional interventions. OBJECTIVE: As most available apps lack a theoretical framework, this review aimed to evaluate their effectiveness and assess their quality....
The intensive data typically collected by mobile health (mHealth) apps allows factors associated with persistent use to be investigated, which is an important objective given users' well-known struggles with sustaining healthy behavior. Data from a commercial meditation app (n=14,879; 899,071 total app uses) were analyzed to assess the validity of commonly given habit formation advice to...
Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can improve the symptoms and psychological well-being of patients with breast cancer. However, standard MBIs are an 8-week program delivered face-to-face, which may be inconvenient for patients with cancer. Many attempts have been made to adapt MBIs to increase their accessibility for patients with cancer while maintaining their therapeutic...
BACKGROUND: Meditation apps have surged in popularity in recent years, with an increasing number of individuals turning to these apps to cope with stress, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meditation apps are the most commonly used mental health apps for depression and anxiety. However, little is known about who is well suited to these apps. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and test...
Mindfulness can improve overall well-being by training individuals to focus on the present moment without judging their thoughts. However, it is unknown how much mindfulness practice and training are necessary to improve well-being. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether a standard 8-session web-based mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program, compared with a brief...
Background Mobile mindfulness meditation (MMM) is a mindfulness meditation intervention implemented using mobile devices such as smartphones and apps. MMM has been used to help manage the mental health of university students. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MMM on the mental health of university students in the areas of stress, anxiety, depression, mindfulness,...
Background The resurgence of research and public interest in the positive psychological effects of psychedelics, together with advancements in digital data collection techniques, have brought forth a new type of research design, which involves prospectively gathering large-scale naturalistic data from psychedelic users; that is, before and after the use of a psychedelic compound. A...
Background: Mindfulness-based stress reduction is an efficacious treatment for people with chronic health problems; however, it is highly intensive and time-consuming, which is a barrier for service provision. Objective: This study aims to develop an internet-delivered adapted version of mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis to make the intervention more...
One in three cancer patients experience high psychological distress. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing psychological distress in this patient group. However, these interventions lack availability and flexibility, which may compromise participation in the intervention for cancer patients experiencing late symptoms like fatigue or pain. Therefore, mindfulness-based...
Background Despite potential for benefit, mindfulness remains an emergent area in perinatal mental health care, and evidence of smartphone-based mindfulness training for perinatal depression is especially limited. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone-based mindfulness training intervention during pregnancy on perinatal depression and other...
Background Peripartum depression and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are correlated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Antenatal care in Germany does not yet include structured screening and effective low-threshold treatment options for women facing peripartum depression and anxiety disorders. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly becoming a focus of...
Background Regular mindfulness practice has been demonstrated to be beneficial for mental health, but mindfulness can be challenging to adopt, with environmental and personal distractors often cited as challenges. Virtual reality (VR) may address these challenges by providing an immersive environment for practicing mindfulness and by supporting the user to orient attention to the present moment...
Background Despite substantial improvements in technology and the increased demand for technology-enabled behavioral health tools among consumers, little progress has been made in easing the burden of mental illness. This may be because of the inherent challenges of conducting traditional clinical trials in a rapidly evolving technology landscape. Objective This study sought to validate the...
BACKGROUND: The impact of mental illness on society is far reaching and has been identified as the leading cause of sickness absence and work disability in most developed countries. By developing evidence-based solutions that are practical, affordable, and accessible, there is potential to deliver substantial economic benefits while improving the lives of individual workers. Academic and...