None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to see if app-based mindfulness training can reduce stress and related problems for public sector employees. This three-arm parallel group RCT will assess the effects of self-guided use of the Smiling Mind Workplace App (App group) and the use of the App supported by four seminars (App+ group) on the primary outcome of perceived stress from pre- to post-intervention, when compared with a wait list control (WLC group). The relative efficacy of each active group will be assessed as a research question. Secondary outcomes include changes in mindfulness, mental health, psychosocial job quality, workplace safety and conflict incidents, productivity changes and health-related quality of life outcomes. Changes on these measures from pre- to post-intervention and then at 12-month follow-up will be investigated by group. Informant reports of observed mindfulness and citizenship behaviours will also be collected and the relationship between observer and self-reports of change will be explored. Participant reports of the perceived usefulness of program elements will be collected to inform acceptability and feasibility. User-data from the Smiling Mind servers will be used to assess adherence and to investigate effects by level(s) of engagement with the program. This study addresses the current lack of strong evidence for app-based mindfulness training for working adults. It will examine the Smiling Mind Workplace App for its efficacy for reducing stress and related mental health problems, and explore its influence on psychosocial, safety and conflict related stressors in the workplace. The study will contribute evidence regarding the importance of including teacher-led classes/seminars to support app-based learning, in terms of efficacy, and it will report economic considerations. It draws on multiple sources of data to cross-validate self-report changes, enable objective assessment of program adherence, and determine if app-based mindfulness training leads to noticeable changes in behaviour at work.
Interventions
The two intervention arms in this study are:
Arm 1. App group will use the Smiling Mind Workplace App for self-guided progression.
Arm 2. App+ group will use the Smiling Mind Workplace App, and attend four 1-hour seminars.
The Smiling Mind Workplace App (the App) is a complete online learning tool for mindfulness training. The App’s modules (Everyday Mindfulness, Calm, Clarity, Connection and Mindful Mastery) each include instructional videos, meditations (e.g. 7 and 15-minute sitting and bod
The two intervention arms in this study are: Arm 1. App group will use the Smiling Mind Workplace App for self-guided progression. Arm 2. App+ group will use the Smiling Mind Workplace App, and attend four 1-hour seminars. The Smiling Mind Workplace App (the App) is a complete online learning tool for mindfulness training. The App’s modules (Everyday Mindfulness, Calm, Clarity, Connection and Mindful Mastery) each include instructional videos, meditations (e.g. 7 and 15-minute sitting and body scan practices) and brief practices and activities to help bring moments of informal mindfulness into the everyday (e.g. 1 and 3-minute practices for moving with awareness between meetings, breathing techniques, and listening). In total, there are 41 different App elements. While the App provides user guidance, the amount of time spent each day engaging with App elements is at the discretion of participants. The App is supported by fortnightly email communications for the first 10 weeks, which include suggestions for how to use App elements, e.g. “Find a time that works for you each day, maybe it’s first thing in the morning, or before you go to sleep. Create a routine”; and “Listen to 'Brain Break: the breath' when you need a brief moment during your day to stop and reset”. The App can be used as a stand alone training program or can be offered in conjunction with face to face seminars, which are run in the initial 10 week period. Licences to the full App content last for 12-months. The four seminars (attended by the App+ group) will be held at multiple locations at three different times in weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6, and be delivered by an experienced organisational consultant and mindfulness teacher. Attendance will be in-person or via video-conference. Each seminar has a key message: choosing to respond mindfully to stressors; remaining calm in the face of demands; managing attention wisely; and cultivating good relationships with the self and others. Attendance at the seminars will be collected by self-report, and venue count data. User data from the Smiling Mind Servers will enable objective assessment of adherence to the App program. Participant ratings of the usefulness of the seminars and different elements of the App will also be collected.
Sponsors
Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: current employees of Tasmanian Training Consortium (TTC) client organisations with approval to attend seminars, who are not participating in any concurrent health and wellbeing program(s) and who do not have an unmanaged mental health condition, Eligibility criteria: 1) line managers’ approval to attend all seminars; 2) no concurrent participation in meditation or stress-management programs; 3) PHQ-9 scores less than or equal to 15, and no indication of suicide ideation; 4) evidence of appropriate management for pre-existing mental health condition (assessed by study psychologist)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: concurrent participation in another meditation or stress-management program; not able to attend seminars either in person or via web-link; responses on the baseline survey that indicate a history of borderline personality disorder, significant trauma, suicide ideation or a score greater than 15 on the Patient Health Questionnaire.
Outcome results
None listed