Chronic Pain, Depression, Anxiety
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of a smart phone based mindfulness meditation app (MMA) for individuals with clinically significant symptoms of major depression and/or anxiety, or symptoms of chronic pain. Specifically, the study aims to examine parasympathetic tone using HRV (primary outcome), mind-wandering and present awareness, mood symptoms, and breath focus in groups of participants who self-report clinically significant symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (DA), chronic pain symptoms (CP), as well as control participants who do not meet our criteria for either (Controls (C). All study groups will be randomized to a mindfulness meditation app (MMA+) condition or a mindfulness meditation condition without the app (MMA-) after a brief stress-induction procedure.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindfulness Meditation
A meditative practice involving paying attention to present moment experiences and focusing on breathing sensations.
Sponsors
York University
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
* York University students
Exclusion criteria
* Individuals with diagnosed cardiac conditions (e.g. coronary artery disease, arrhythmias etc) will be excluded due to confounds with heart rate variability assessment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Heart Rate Variability | 22 minutes | A stress biomarker derived from heart rate recordings that reflects parasympathetic control of cardiac output |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed