Improvements in Stress, Affect, and Irritability Following Brief Use of a Mindfulness-based Smartphone App: A Randomized Controlled Trial
M. Economides, Janis Martman, M. Bell, Brad Sanderson
Mindfulness March 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-018-0905-4 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA brief mindfulness meditation program delivered via a smartphone app improved irritability, affect, and stress from external pressure more than a psychoeducational audiobook control in healthy novice meditators. Both interventions reduced stress linked to personal vulnerability. The mindfulness group showed moderate between-group effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.44 to 0.47) on the three outcomes where it outperformed the control. The findings suggest that smartphone apps can effectively deliver mindfulness training and that even brief practice benefits several aspects of psychosocial well-being.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy adults who are novice meditators |
| Interventions | introductory mindfulness meditation program psychoeducational audiobook control |
| Duration | Immediately before and after each intervention |
| Keywords | Psychology Medicine |
| Key finding | Only the mindfulness intervention, not the psychoeducational control, significantly improved irritability, affect, and stress from external pressure in healthy novice meditators. |
Abstract
Mindfulness training, which involves observing thoughts and feelings without judgment or reaction, has been shown to improve aspects of psychosocial well-being when delivered via in-person training programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Less is known about the efficacy of digital training mediums, such as smartphone apps, which are rapidly rising in popularity. In this study, novice meditators were randomly allocated to an introductory mindfulness meditation program or to a psychoeducational audiobook control featuring an introduction to the concepts of mindfulness and meditation. The interventions were delivered via the same mindfulness app, were matched across a range of criteria, and were presented to participants as well-being programs. Affect, irritability, and two distinct components of stress were measured immediately before and after each intervention in a cohort of healthy adults. While both interventions were effective at reducing stress associated with personal vulnerability, only the mindfulness intervention had a significant positive impact on irritability, affect, and stress resulting from external pressure (between group Cohen’s d = 0.44, 0.47, 0.45, respectively). These results suggest that brief mindfulness training has a beneficial impact on several aspects of psychosocial well-being, and that smartphone apps are an effective delivery medium for mindfulness training.