"I've Always Wanted to Find That Peace That Everyone Talks About with Mindfulness": The Development of an Asynchronous Mindfulness-Training Mobile Health Application for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.
Kaitlyn Rechenberg, Rebecca Koerner, Carley Geiss
Comprehensive child and adolescent nursing May 6, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/24694193.2026.2668721 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 12–19 with type 1 diabetes for more than 6 months who completed the 8-week mHealth mindfulness-training intervention |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Type 1 diabetes Adolescents Mhealth |
| Key findings | Adolescents with type 1 diabetes reported that the Appricate© mHealth mindfulness-training app was easy to use and engaging, and they experienced improvements in sleep, stress and anxiety management, and management of school and after-school activities. |
Abstract
Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) report increased stress and anxiety in comparison to their peers, which may result in out-of-range glycemic outcomes. Complementary therapies such as mindfulness may improve stress and anxiety. However, mindfulness training is mostly delivered in-person for adolescents. As adolescents with T1D are high consumers of technology, with busy schedules that impede their ability to complete in-person training, we designed an mHealth application, Appricate©, to deliver mindfulness-training. The goal of this pilot study was to qualitatively describe the experience of participating in an 8-week mHealth mindfulness-training intervention based on the principles of MBSR, Appricate©, among adolescents with T1D. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old who had T1D for >6 months and had completed our 8-week mHealth mindfulness-training intervention. We identified five themes based on participant interviews: (1) initial appeal and attractiveness, (2) usability, (3) engagement, (4) user outcomes, and (5) recommendations. Appricate© was reported as "well made" that was "very easy to use" with engaging lessons. Participants had improved sleep, stress and anxiety management and better ability to manage school and after-school activities after using Appricate©. Participants also recommended additional content and options for personalization.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Mindfulness-based group intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes: initial findings from a pilot and feasibility randomized controlled trial. Journal of pediatric psychology October 1, 2024
- Acceptability of a Self-Led Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Teens with Type 1 Diabetes: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Formative Research October 9, 2023
- Characteristics Associated With the Use of the Mindfulness Meditation App Headspace in a Large Public Health Deployment: Cross-Sectional Survey Study JMIR Formative Research August 22, 2025
- Mindfulness and Behavior Change Harvard Review of Psychiatry November 1, 2020