Well-being, Work Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Mindfulness, meditation, stress, well-being, work stress, blood pressure, cortisol
Brief summary
We propose a randomised controlled trial in a workplace setting to investigate whether a smartphone-delivered programme of mindfulness meditation influences psychological and biological indicators of well-being. We hypothesise that after 8 weeks participants who complete the meditation programme will show increases in psychological well-being and reduced activation of stress-related biological pathways.
Detailed description
Mindfulness-based therapies can reduce depressive symptoms in patients and healthy subjects. Therapies such as MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) typically consist of 8 group sessions led by an experienced practitioner, plus home practice and one full day of meditation. In this study we aim to investigate whether a mindfulness programme delivered as a series of podcasts on a mobile phone app could lead to gains in well-being and a reduction in stress.
Interventions
OTHERHeadspace On-the-go app
Participants will be given access to a 45-day programme of mindfulness meditation, created and branded by Headspace. They will be encouraged to listen to one meditation podcast each day, or as frequently as possible over 8 weeks.
Sponsors
British Heart Foundation
Headspace Meditation Limited
Technical University Dresden
University College, London
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Employees of a UK high-tech company * Raised levels of work stress (overcommitment\>2) or depression (CESD\>1)
Exclusion criteria
* treated for anxiety, depression or hypertension * taking medication containing steroids
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Well-being | 8 weeks | Psychological well-being will be assessed using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | 8 weeks | Blood pressure over the working day will be measured as an indicator of activation of the stress response |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological stress | 8 weeks | Stress will be measured using the Perceived Stress Scale and measures of job strain, based on Karasek (where job strain is a combination of high demands and low control). |
| Cortisol | 8 weeks | Hair cortisol concentration, as an indicator of activation of the HPA axis |
Countries
United Kingdom
Contacts
Primary ContactSophie K Bostock, BMedSci, MSc
Outcome results
None listed