Dose-Response Effects of Mindfulness Meditation

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE · Apr 17, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how different amounts of mindfulness meditation can affect well-being and mental health in healthy adults who have little to no experience with meditation. The researchers want to find out if practicing mindfulness for longer periods—like 20 or 30 minutes—leads to greater improvements in mood and overall well-being compared to shorter sessions of just a few minutes. Participants will take part in a 28-day mindfulness meditation program with daily guided audio instructions, and they will complete surveys about their experiences before, during, and after the program.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must live in Australia and be between the ages of 18 to 75. They should also have minimal experience with meditation—less than 25 hours in the past six months—and must not have severe mental health conditions. Participants can expect to engage with mindfulness practices for varying lengths of time each day, and they will be supported throughout the study. This trial is currently recruiting, so if you or someone you know is interested, it might be a great opportunity to explore the benefits of mindfulness meditation.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Reside in Australia, with no plans to relocate or travel overseas during the intervention period;
• • Sufficient comprehension of the English language to complete measures;
• • Register for an account and agree to the Terms and Conditions of Unforgettable.Me;
• • If suffering anxious or depressive symptoms of moderate severity (defined by \> 19 on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System \[PROMIS\] Level 2 Anxiety or \> 22 on the PROMIS Level 2 Depression), must agree to continue recommended routine medical treatment for eligible underlying mental and/or physical health conditions or the duration of the study and to seek additional treatment if indicated by deterioration of symptoms;
• • No or minimal experience with meditation, defined as less than 25 hours over the past 6 months; never attended a multi-day mindfulness course (e.g., Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Vipassana). If 50% of our target sample size has not bee recruited within the first three months of active recruitment, the inclusion criteria will be broadened to include participants with up to 100 hours in the past 6 months.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Self-reported current or lifetime serious mental illness (e.g., neurodevelopmental, schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, trauma-related, dissociative or personality disorder);
• • Anxious and depressive symptoms in the severe range (defined by \>27 on the PROMIS Level 2 Anxiety or \> 32 on the PROMIS Level 2 Depression);
• • Psychological distress symptoms in the severe range (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale \[K10\] \>= 30);
• • Threshold scores on pre-screening and follow-up measures exceeded for Mania, Suicidal Ideation, Psychosis, Repetitive Thoughts \& Behaviors, Dissociation
• • Moderate alcohol, tobacco, or drug use;
• • Self-reported diagnosis of neurological condition (e.g., traumatic brain injury, amnesia, epilepsy, stroke, etc.);
• • Self-reported presence of any serious medical condition (e.g., cancer, thyroid disorder, multiple sclerosis, etc.);
• • Recent bereavement or major loss;
• • History of unexplored, untreated traumatic experiences or adverse childhood events.