Behavioral Symptoms, Stress, Psychological
Conditions
Keywords
stress, health, meditation, mindfulness, employees, job strain, burnout, work, mood, affect, work related stress
Brief summary
The aim of this study is to test the effects of a digital meditation intervention in a sample UCSF employees who report mild to moderate stress. We will randomize UCSF employees to either 8-weeks of a digital meditation intervention (using the commercially available application Headspace) or a waitlist control condition.
Detailed description
The aim of this study is to test the effects of a digital meditation intervention in a sample UCSF employees who report moderate to high stress. We will randomize UCSF employees to either 8-weeks of a digital meditation intervention (using the commercially available application Headspace) or a waitlist control condition. Participants assigned to the intervention group will be asked to download and use the Headspace mobile application for at least 10 minutes per day for 8 weeks. All study participants will be asked to fill out short (no longer than 25 minutes) questionnaires at baseline, week 4, week 8 (post intervention), and a 4-month follow up period. Among participants who are randomized to the digital meditation intervention, they will also take part in a 1-year follow up. All activities will take place online (via computer or smartphone). Prior to randomization, participants will go through an eligibility screening and complete the baseline questionnaire battery. The entirety of the study is digital and there are no in-person assessments. Adherence will be tracked remotely. The goal is to recruit as many as 2000 participants (1000 per condition).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMeditation
10 minute per day, 8 week digital meditation
Sponsors
The University of California's Healthy Campus Network
Headspace, Inc
University of California, San Francisco
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Masking description
Investigator will be blind to condition throughout data accrual.
Intervention model description
Randomization to either digital meditation condition or wait-list control.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
You may join if you: * Have access to a smartphone or computer every day * Are fluent in English * Are a UCSF employee * Report mild to moderate levels of stress * Consent: demonstrate understanding of the study and willingness to participate as evidenced by voluntary informed consent and has received a signed and dated copy of the informed consent * Are at least 18 years of age
Exclusion criteria
• You may not join if you are an experienced meditator or have participated in a formal meditation practice in the last 3 months (defined as 3 times per week or more for 10 minutes or more at each practice)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in perceived stress score, as determined by the total score on the Perceived Stress Scale | Baseline to post-intervention, an anticipated average of 8 weeks | The Perceived Stress Scale has a total score scale range of 0 to 40, with higher values indicating more perceived stress |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in job strain, as determined by Siegrist Job Strain Scale | Baseline to post-intervention, an anticipated average of 8 weeks | The job strain measure is a comprised of two sub scales, effort (5 items) and reward (11 items), each ranging from 1 to 4. The job strain score is calculated as the ratio of demand to reward, with a higher ratio reflecting more job strain. |
| Change in job overcommitment, as as determined by Siegrist Job Strain Scale | Baseline to post-intervention, an anticipated average of 8 weeks | The job overcommitment subscale of the Siegrist Job Strain Scale is comprised of 4 items providing a total score range from 4 to16. A higher total score reflects more job overcommitment. |
| Change in burnout, as determined by the Bergen Burnout Inventory | Baseline to post-intervention, an anticipated average of 8 weeks | The Bergen Burnout Inventory is comprised of 9 items, ranging from 1 to 6. The total score range is from 9 to 54 with a higher score reflecting higher burnout. |
| Change in subjective mindfulness, as determined by total score on Mindful Attention Awareness Scale | Baseline to post-intervention, an anticipated average of 8 weeks | The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale is a 15-item measure with each item ranging from a score of 1 to 6. To score the scale, we compute the average score across items, with a higher score reflecting higher levels of mindfulness. |
| Change in work engagement, as determined by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale | Baseline to post-intervention, an anticipated average of 8 weeks | The Utrecht Work Engagement scale is comprised of 9 items, with a total score ranging from 0 to 54, with higher scores indicating more work engagement. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed