Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30596696›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2018

The efficacy of a brief app-based mindfulness intervention on psychosocial outcomes in healthy adults: A pilot randomised controlled trial.

Louise Champion, Marcos Economides, Chris Chandler

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
33.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

90 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 238 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Individual Resilience Interventions: A Systematic Review in Adult Population Samples over the Last Decade.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
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  19. Effects of a 4Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2024
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30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Louise ChampionSchool of Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom.
Marcos EconomidesHeadspace Inc., Los Angeles, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-0511-5432
Chris ChandlerSchool of Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom.
London Metropolitan University · GBMedpace (United States) · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrevious evidence suggests that mindfulness training may improve aspects of psychosocial well-being. Whilst mindfulness is traditionally taught in person, consumers are increasingly turning to mindfulness-based smartphone apps as an alternative delivery medium for training. Despite this growing trend, few studies have explored whether mindfulness delivered via a smartphone app can enhance psychosocial well-being within the general public.

methodsThe present pilot randomised controlled trial compared the impact of engaging with the self-guided mindfulness meditation (MM) app 'Headspace' (n = 38) for a period of 10 or 30 days, to a wait-list (WL) control (n = 36), using a cohort of adults from the general population. The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Wagnild Resilience Scale were administered online at baseline and after 10 and 30 days of the intervention.

resultsTwelve participants (MM n = 9, WL n = 3) were lost to follow-up for unknown reasons. Relative to the WL control, the MM app positively impacted self-reported satisfaction with life, stress, and resilience at day 10, with further improvements emerging at day 30 (Cohen's d = 0.57, 1.42, 0.63 respectively). The rate of improvement was largest at the 10-day assessment point, dropping moderately by day 30. Participants that rated the MM app as easy to engage with experienced the largest self-reported benefits. Moreover, the MM app was able to protect against an unexpected increase in perceived stress that emerged in the control group.

conclusionsThis pilot randomised controlled trial shows that self-reported improvements in psychosocial outcomes can be achieved at low cost through short-term engagement with a mindfulness-based smartphone app, and should be followed up with more substantive studies.

trial registrationISRCTN ISRCTN34618894.

Indexed as

AdultCell PhoneDepressionFemaleHumansMaleMeditationMental HealthMiddle AgedMindfulnessMobile ApplicationsPatient CarePersonal SatisfactionPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesStress, PsychologicalSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID30596696
PMCPMC6312207
OpenAlexW2906819009

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.