Examining How Headspace Impacts Mindfulness Mechanisms Over an 8-Week App-Based Mindfulness Intervention

Abstract Objectives Theoretical work proposed that mindfulness interventions function by enhancing various mindfulness mechanisms, including acceptance, attention monitoring, decentering, self-compassion, and nonreactivity. However, much of what is currently known about the effects of mindfulness interventions on mindfulness mechanisms comes from studies assessing these mechanisms pre- and post-treatment, which provides limited insights into how these mechanisms develop over the course of a mindfulness intervention. The present randomized, waitlist-controlled trial investigated how the proposed mindfulness mechanisms change over the course of an 8-week app-based mindfulness intervention (Headspace).

Method: A sample of university employees (n = 132; 76.5% female; age M ± SD = 38.5 ± 11.1; 54.5% White) was randomly assigned to participate in a mindfulness intervention (n = 92) or to a waitlist control group (n = 40). Mindfulness mechanisms were assessed using ecological momentary assessment, with participants providing reports on mindfulness mechanisms five times daily for four days during the baseline (pre-treatment), 2nd, 5th, and 8th weeks, resulting in a total of 6,327 assessments.

Results: Changes in the mechanisms of acceptance-attention and nonreactivity were observed from the second week of the intervention onwards, with marginal effects for decentering. These effects showed a steady linear increase in the mindfulness group.

Conclusions: Results demonstrate the potential for rapid and sustained improvements in mindfulness mechanisms following an app-based mindfulness intervention. Preregistration The study was preregistered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03652168.