Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Asheville.
J Couns Psychol. 2024 Mar;71(2):104-114. doi: 10.1037/cou0000725.
Meditation apps are the most commonly used mental health apps. However, the optimal dosing of app-delivered meditation practice has not been established. We examined whether the distribution of meditation practices across a day impacted outcomes in a distressed population. We investigated the effects of meditation practice frequency in a 2-week compassion-based meditation intervention delivered via the Healthy Minds Program app. Undergraduates with clinically elevated depression and/or anxiety ( = 351) were randomized to a massed (one 20-min meditation per day) or distributed condition (two 10-min meditations per day). Psychological distress (primary outcome; composite of depression and anxiety), experiential avoidance, fear of missing out, loneliness, and self-compassion were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Psychological distress, loneliness, and informal meditation practice were also assessed daily. Practice time and frequency were assessed using app data. Results support feasibility of the study design, success of the manipulation, and acceptability of the intervention. Pooled across conditions, participants exhibited pre-post improvements on all outcomes (absolute value of = 0.12-0.63, ≤ .010) and trajectories of improvement on daily distress and loneliness ( ≤ .010). No between-group differences were observed on changes in pre-post or daily measures ( = .158-.729). When total amount of meditation practice per day is held constant, the distribution of practice may not influence outcomes for distressed beginners. Although only a first test of dose frequency effects, findings support flexibility in the distribution of meditation throughout the day, which may increase accessibility. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
冥想应用程序是最常用的心理健康应用程序。然而，尚未确定应用程序提供的冥想练习的最佳剂量。我们研究了一天中冥想练习的分布是否会影响焦虑人群的结果。我们调查了通过健康思维计划应用程序提供的为期两周的基于同情心的冥想干预中冥想练习频率的影响。有临床显著抑郁和/或焦虑的大学生（= 351）被随机分配到集中（每天一次 20 分钟冥想）或分散条件（每天两次 10 分钟冥想）。在干预前后评估了心理困扰（主要结果；抑郁和焦虑的综合指标）、体验回避、错失恐惧、孤独和自我同情。还每天评估心理困扰、孤独和非正式的冥想练习。使用应用程序数据评估练习时间和频率。结果支持研究设计的可行性、操作的成功和干预的可接受性。综合两种条件，参与者在所有结果上都表现出干预前后的改善（ = 0.12-0.63，≤.010），并且在每日困扰和孤独方面的改善轨迹（≤.010）。在干预前后或每日测量的变化上未观察到组间差异（ =.158-.729）。当每天的冥想练习总量保持不变时，练习的分布可能不会影响焦虑初学者的结果。虽然这只是对剂量频率效应的首次测试，但研究结果支持在一天中灵活分配冥想，这可能会增加可及性。（PsycInfo 数据库记录（c）2024 APA，保留所有权利）。
