Brigham Young University, Department of Public Health, Provo, UT, United States.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Mar 22;7(3):e10794. doi: 10.2196/10794.
Mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular over the last few years, due in part to the increase in mobile apps incorporating the practice. Although studies have demonstrated the potential of mindfulness meditation to positively impact health, little has been uncovered about what predicts engagement in mindfulness meditation. Understanding the predictors of mindfulness meditation may help practitioners and phone app developers improve intervention strategies and app experience.
The purpose of this study was to use the Theory of Planned Behavior and Temporal Self-Regulation Theory to determine factors predicting mindfulness meditation mobile app use.
The sample consisted of 85 undergraduate students with no prior mindfulness meditation experience. During their first laboratory visit, participants completed tasks to measure their executive functioning and a survey to measure Theory of Planned Behavior constructs about mindfulness meditation. Over the following 2 weeks, participants logged the days and minutes that they practiced mindfulness meditation using a phone app. Hierarchical regression modeling was used to analyze the data.
After controlling for demographic factors, participant subjective norms (beta=14.51, P=.001) and intentions (beta=36.12, P=.001) were predictive of the number of minutes practicing mindfulness. Participant executive functioning did not predict mindfulness meditation practice, nor did it moderate the link between intentions and mindfulness meditation practice. Participant attitudes (beta=0.44, P<.001) and perceived control (beta=0.42, P=.002) were positively associated with intentions to practice mindfulness.
These results suggest that among college student populations, the Theory of Planned Behavior may be useful in predicting the use of mindfulness meditation phone apps. However, participant executive functioning was not a predictor or moderator of mindfulness practice, and Temporal Self-Regulation Theory may be less useful for explaining mindfulness meditation behaviors using phone apps over a short period of time among college students. The results have implications for public health professionals, suggesting that a focus on subjective norms and intentions may promote mindfulness meditation practice using phone apps.
正念冥想在过去几年中越来越受欢迎，部分原因是越来越多的移动应用程序将这种实践纳入其中。尽管研究表明正念冥想有可能对健康产生积极影响，但对于预测正念冥想参与度的因素却知之甚少。了解正念冥想的预测因素可能有助于从业者和手机应用程序开发者改善干预策略和应用程序体验。
本研究旨在使用计划行为理论和时间自我调节理论来确定预测正念冥想手机应用程序使用的因素。
样本由 85 名没有正念冥想经验的本科生组成。在他们的第一次实验室访问中，参与者完成了任务来衡量他们的执行功能和一项关于正念冥想的计划行为理论结构的调查。在接下来的 2 周内，参与者使用手机应用程序记录他们练习正念冥想的天数和分钟数。使用分层回归模型分析数据。
在控制人口统计学因素后，参与者的主观规范（β=14.51，P=.001）和意图（β=36.12，P=.001）预测了练习正念冥想的分钟数。参与者的执行功能并不能预测正念冥想的练习，也不能调节意图与正念冥想练习之间的联系。参与者的态度（β=0.44，P<.001）和感知控制（β=0.42，P=.002）与练习正念的意图呈正相关。
这些结果表明，在大学生群体中，计划行为理论可能有助于预测正念冥想手机应用程序的使用。然而，参与者的执行功能不是正念实践的预测因素或调节因素，时间自我调节理论在短时间内通过手机应用程序解释正念冥想行为可能不太有用。研究结果对公共卫生专业人员具有启示意义，表明关注主观规范和意图可能会促进使用手机应用程序进行正念冥想练习。
