Efficacy of an online intervention for anxiety prevention: A clinical trial
Leonardo Júnior Souza Silva, Raíssa Ester Maia Monteiro, Danilo Andrade de Meneses, Ighor Domingos Bandeira, Luiz Carlos Serramo Lopez
Psicologia - Teoria e Prática 2023 DOI: 10.5935/1980-6906/eptpcp15070.en (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Brazilian university students |
| Duration | 4-week intervention, 4-week follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | The authors report that a four-week mindfulness intervention delivered via a mobile application significantly reduced anxiety at four-week follow-up compared with a waiting-list control group, with a large effect size (F(2, 92) = 10.275, eta-squared = 0.183). They suggest the intervention acted as a protective factor against anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the treatment group maintained reduced anxiety while the control group's anxiety increased. |
Abstract
This study aimed to test the effectiveness and the sustained effect (follow-up) of a four-week mindfulness intervention in reducing anxiety and stress in a group of Brazilian university students.The intervention was adapted to be made available through the Neurosaúde application, created as part of this work to serve as a platform for the intervention.The research took place in a virtual environment, with 48 participants recruited, who were randomly allocated to the intervention group or to the waiting list control group.Measures were used to access the levels of mindfulness, anxiety, and stress before and after the intervention and at the 4-week follow-up.Applying the intention-to-treat analysis, we found significant differences between the groups regarding the measurement of anxiety in the follow-up, with a large effect size (F(2, 92) = 10.275,p = .000,η 2 = 0.183).The results suggest that the 4-week mindfulness intervention through a mobile application was able to act as a protective factor against the anxiety developed by university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.While the treatment group maintained reduced levels of anxiety the control group demonstrated a continuous increase in anxiety in the post-test and follow-up that coincided with the first wave of COVID-19 in the region where the participants lived.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Efficacy of 8- and 4-Session Mindfulness-Based Interventions in a Non-clinical Population: A Controlled Study Frontiers in Psychology August 8, 2017
- Validity evidence of the brazilian version of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ) Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa September 1, 2014
- Mindfulness, Age and Gender as Protective Factors Against Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Pandemic Frontiers in Psychology September 1, 2020
- Efficacy of the Mindfulness Meditation Mobile App “Calm” to Reduce Stress Among College Students: Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR mHealth and uHealth June 1, 2019
and 3 more in the library