A Self-Guided Mobile Mindfulness Intervention Embedded in Daily Routines for Adults With Mild to Moderate Psychological Distress: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Mobile mindfulness interventions have shown promise for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms, but sustaining engagement remains a persistent challenge. Many digital programs still rely on formal practice that requires dedicated time, which may be difficult to integrate into daily life.

Objective: This randomized controlled trial evaluated Habitual Mindfulness Practice (HMP), a self-guided mobile mindfulness intervention that embeds brief practices into recurring daily routines, among adults with mild to moderate psychological distress. Outcomes were compared with those of Traditional Mindfulness (TM), Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation (MBP), and a waitlist control (WL).

Methods: Adults aged 18 to 65 years with mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or depression were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to HMP, TM, MBP, or WL (N=686). All procedures were conducted online, and the intervention was fully self-guided, with outcomes assessed using self-report measures. The intervention lasted 21 days, with assessments conducted at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Primary outcomes were depressive and anxiety symptoms. Secondary outcomes included mindfulness, cognitive emotion regulation, affective balance, and interpersonal difficulties. Postintervention group differences were examined, controlling for baseline scores, and longitudinal trajectories were evaluated across the active intervention conditions.

Results: At postintervention, significant group effects were observed for depressive symptoms (F3,681=28.67, P<.001, ηp²=0.11) and anxiety symptoms (F3,681=30.11, P<.001, ηp²=0.12). Both HMP and TM showed lower depressive and anxiety symptom scores than MBP and WL. TM showed lower postintervention anxiety than HMP (P=.04), whereas depressive symptoms did not differ significantly between HMP and TM (P=.63). The mindfulness practice conditions also showed more favorable postintervention outcomes for mindfulness, affective balance, interpersonal difficulties, and emotion regulation. Improvements in depressive and anxiety symptoms were generally maintained at follow-up among the active intervention conditions, although maintenance of secondary outcomes varied across measures. Postintervention outcome data were available for 55.2% (379/686) of randomized participants, and follow-up outcome data were available for 24.1% (124/515) of participants in the active intervention conditions. HMP and TM did not differ significantly in practice duration, engagement, or satisfaction.

Conclusions: A routine-embedded, self-guided mobile mindfulness intervention may be a feasible approach for reducing mild to moderate psychological distress. HMP produced benefits broadly comparable to those of traditional app-delivered mindfulness, but it did not confer advantages in engagement or short-term efficacy.