Digital Meditation to Target Employee Stress: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Rachel M Radin, Julie Vacarro, Elena Fromer, Sarah E. Ahmadi, Joanna Y Guan, Sarah M Fisher, Sarah D Pressman, John F Hunter, Kate Sweeny, A Janet Tomiyama, Lauren Tiongco Hofschneider, Matthew J. Zawadzki, Larisa Gavrilova, Elissa S Epel, Aric A Prather
JAMA Network Open January 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54435 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,458 |
| Population | Adults employed at a large academic medical center with mild to moderate stress |
| Intervention | Digital meditation program |
| Dose | 10 minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 4-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 11 |
| Registration | NCT03527303 |
| Key findings | A digital meditation program significantly reduced perceived stress and job strain compared to a waiting list control, with benefits maintained at 4 months. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being among employees; however, effects of digital meditation programs are poorly understood. To evaluate the effects of digital meditation vs a waiting list condition on general and work-specific stress and whether greater engagement in the intervention moderates these effects. This randomized clinical trial included a volunteer sample of adults (aged ≥18 years) employed at a large academic medical center who reported mild to moderate stress, had regular access to a web-connected device, and were fluent in English. Exclusion criteria included being a regular meditator. Participants were recruited from May 16, 2018, through September 28, 2019, and completed baseline, 8-week, and 4-month measures assessing stress, job strain, burnout, work engagement, mindfulness, depression, and anxiety. Data were analyzed from March 2023 to October 2024. Participants were randomized 1:1 to a digital meditation program or the waiting list control condition. Participants in the intervention group were instructed to complete 10 minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks. The control group was instructed to continue their normal activities and not add any meditation during the study period. The primary outcome measure was change in Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score at 8 weeks. Secondary outcome measures included changes in job strain, measured as work effort-reward imbalance. A total of 1458 participants (mean [SD] age, 35.54 [10.30] years; 1178 [80.80%] female) were included. Those randomized to meditation (n = 728) vs waiting list (n = 730) showed improvements in PSS (Cohen d, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.96) and in all secondary outcome measures (eg, job strain: Cohen d, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.23-0.46) at 8 weeks. These improvements were maintained at 4 months after randomization (PSS: Cohen d, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.84; job strain: Cohen d, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.25-0.50). Those using the app from 5 to 9.9 min/d vs less than 5 min/d showed greater reduction in stress (mean PSS score difference, -6.58; 95% CI, -7.44 to -5.73). The findings suggest that a brief, digital mindfulness-based program is an easily accessible and scalable method for reducing perceptions of stress. Future work should seek to clarify mechanisms by which such interventions contribute to improvements in work-specific well-being. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03527303.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- AIZEN Digital Meditation Intervention for Caregiver Burnout in Taiwan—A Pilot Randomized Trial Mindfulness May 2, 2026
- The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Burnout in Clinical Genetic Counselors: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial. medRxiv January 16, 2026
- Contextualizing Mindfulness at Work: Strengthening the Scientific Evidence Journal of Organizational Behavior July 12, 2026
- Preliminary efficacy of a self-guided mobile intervention for reducing stress in depression: A randomized controlled crossover trial. Journal of Affective Disorders June 17, 2026
- Digital mindfulness, trait anxiety, and psychological wellbeing: the chain mediating roles of emotion regulation and self-compassion Frontiers in Education March 16, 2026
Cites 9
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology May 3, 2018
- Examining How Headspace Impacts Mindfulness Mechanisms Over an 8-Week App-Based Mindfulness Intervention Mindfulness September 1, 2023
- Impact of digital meditation on work stress and health outcomes among adults with overweight: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One 2023
and 4 more in the library