Headspace as a guided self-help mindfulness course for depression

Headspace as a PWP-guided online self-help mindfulness intervention for depressive symptoms in IAPT: A feasibility study

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN13895659

Enrollment

Registered

2017-09-01

Start date

2017-09-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-10-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Specialty: Mental Health, Primary sub-specialty: Depression

Interventions

This is a feasibility study examining recruitment, retention, acceptability, and preliminary indicators of effectiveness to/of Headspace as a PWP-guided self-help intervention for depressive symptoms

offering a self-help workbook alongside a limited number of PWP support sessions. The purpose of using outcome measures in feasibility studies is to investigate and evaluate a number

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Adults aged 18+ years 2. Current service users at the participating services 3. Score 10-19 on the PHQ-9 (indicating mild or moderate clinical depression) at assessment in the service 4. Regular personal access to a smartphone, computer, or tablet with internet access to use Headspace 5. Sufficient literacy skills to read and understand self-help materials

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Currently receiving a psychological intervention 2. Rated as medium or high risk to self or others on the service risk assessment tool, including risk of self-harm behaviours 3. Substance use associated with significant impairment 4. Meet diagnostic criteria based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI version 6.0.0, Sheehan et al, 2010) for a psychotic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The purpose of using outcome measures in feasibility studies is to investigate and evaluate a number of processes related to the intervention (intervention recruitment, retention, acceptability and preliminary indicators of effectiveness), rather than outcomes related to the effectiveness of the intervention. As such, feasibility studies need not include a primary outcome measure. Outcomes will be reported as follows: 1. Number of people meeting inclusion criteria in the participating IAPT services and offered the study. 2. Of 1), the number of people consenting to take part in the study 3. Reasons for not agreeing to take part in the study (recorded by practitioners conducting initial assessments) 4. Demographics (gender, age, ethnicity) of people who decline to take part in the study. This information is asked as part of the routine initial assessment and will be recorded by practitioners conducing initial assessments and fed back to the research team. 5. Number of people completing the intervention (defined as listening to the guided mindfulness practices on at least 24 out of 30 sessions within 8 weeks, i.e., 80% of sessions completed). Usage data is collected automatically by the Headspace app. 6. Number of people attending at least 3 PWP sessions 7. Reasons for dropping out of the intervention (recorded by participants when completing post-intervention measures or by practitioners at the IAPT service) 8. Helpful and/or engaging aspects of the intervention (participants’ views). This will be recorded by participants when completing post-intervention measures (using open text boxes) and through qualitative telephone interviews with 10 participants conducted after the study by the RA (details below). 9. Helpful and/or engaging aspects of the intervention (PWP views). This will be recorded after the study	—

Measure

Time frame

The purpose of using outcome measures in feasibility studies is to investigate and evaluate a number of processes related to the intervention (intervention recruitment, retention, acceptability and preliminary indicators of effectiveness), rather than outcomes related to the effectiveness of the intervention. As such, feasibility studies need not include a primary outcome measure. Outcomes will be reported as follows: 1. Number of people meeting inclusion criteria in the participating IAPT services and offered the study. 2. Of 1), the number of people consenting to take part in the study 3. Reasons for not agreeing to take part in the study (recorded by practitioners conducting initial assessments) 4. Demographics (gender, age, ethnicity) of people who decline to take part in the study. This information is asked as part of the routine initial assessment and will be recorded by practitioners conducing initial assessments and fed back to the research team. 5. Number of people completing the intervention (defined as listening to the guided mindfulness practices on at least 24 out of 30 sessions within 8 weeks, i.e., 80% of sessions completed). Usage data is collected automatically by the Headspace app. 6. Number of people attending at least 3 PWP sessions 7. Reasons for dropping out of the intervention (recorded by participants when completing post-intervention measures or by practitioners at the IAPT service) 8. Helpful and/or engaging aspects of the intervention (participants’ views). This will be recorded by participants when completing post-intervention measures (using open text boxes) and through qualitative telephone interviews with 10 participants conducted after the study by the RA (details below). 9. Helpful and/or engaging aspects of the intervention (PWP views). This will be recorded after the study

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
No secondary outcome measures.	—

Countries

England, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactClara Strauss

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026