Mind the app: more time spent on headspace leads to beneficial day-to-day changes in mindfulness, depression, anxiety and stress in college students
Mackenzie E. Pierce, Grazia Mirabito, Paul Verhaeghen
Cogent Mental Health September 9, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/28324765.2024.2400878 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 57 |
| Population | College students |
| Intervention | Headspace app |
| Duration | Two-week period |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Time spent on the Headspace app increased state mindfulness, which then reduced ratings of stress, anxiety, and depression. |
Abstract
Fifty-seven college students downloaded the Headspace app and gave daily reports of app use, state mindfulness, state depression, state anxiety and state stress over a two-week period. App use was high (86 min). Day-to-day ratings of anxiety and stress decreased, while ratings of state depression and state mindfulness remained stable. Multilevel mediational models showed that spending time on the Headspace app increased an individual's mindfulness in the moment, which then decreased ratings of stress, anxiety and depression. There was a lagged effect for state anxiety, such that time-on-app on a given day increased mindfulness on the same day, which decreased feelings of anxiety on the next day. The results strongly suggest a sequence where app usage leads to changes in state mindfulness, which are then associated with beneficial changes in mental health. Thus, state mindfulness is a (or perhaps the) key ingredient of the beneficial effects of this mindfulness/meditation app, opening venues for intervention and a potential for cumulative effects.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Patterning of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of Meditation versus Exercise Regular practitioners of physical exercise or meditation | 1978 | Retrospective study | n = 77 |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
and 9 more in the library