Changes in Mindful Technology Use and Digital Well-Being Following a Vipassana Mindfulness Program: An Exploratory Case Study of College Students
Dhanuskodi Brindha, Anantharaman Seethalakshmy, Saravanan Gunavel, Karthikeyan SelvaPriya
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science 2026 DOI: 10.47772/ijriss.2026.101000193 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | One male and one female college student from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, who used digital devices more than five hours a day and reported mild digital fatigue, distraction, and emotional strain |
| Intervention | Vipassana meditation |
| Duration | Four-week training program |
| Measures | Digital Well-Being Scale (DWS), Mindful Technology Use Inventory (MTUI-32) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | After a four-week Vipassana meditation program, digital well-being scores increased from 58 to 72 (male) and 61 to 76 (female), and mindful technology use scores increased from 45 to 63 and 68 to 81. Weekly journals suggested perceived changes in attention, emotional balance, and responses to digital distractions. The authors state the results are preliminary, not generalizable, and cannot be attributed specifically to Vipassana meditation. |
Abstract
The present study examined the changes in mindful technology use and digital well-being following a four-week Vipassana meditation training program among college students. A pretest and posttest case study design was used with one male and one female college student from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Participants spent more than five hours a day using digital devices and reported mild digital fatigue, distraction, and emotional strain. Before and after the programme, the study variables were measured through the Digital Well-Being Scale (DWS) and Mindful Technology Use Inventory (MTUI-32). The male participant’s digital well-being score increased from 58 to 72, while the female participant’s score increased from 61 to 76. Scores for mindful technology use increased from 45 to 63 for the male participant and from 68 to 81 for the female participant. The findings from weekly reflection journals suggested perceived changes in attention, emotional balance, and responses to digital distractions. These results are preliminary and cannot be generalised because the sample was small and there was no control group; the observed changes cannot be attributed specifically to Vipassana meditation.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |