Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA.
Pediatric Population Science, Outcomes, and Disparities Research Section, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 May 2;21(5):584. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21050584.
Adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer are increasingly recognized as a vulnerable group with unique emotional, social, and practical needs due to the intersection of cancer survivorship and normal developmental processes. Mindfulness meditation has shown early efficacy in improving psychological distress among cancer patients. However, the overall scientific study of app-based mindfulness-based interventions is still in its early stages. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a commercially available mindfulness mobile app intervention "Ten Percent Happier" among AYA survivors of childhood cancer.
We conducted a single-arm pilot intervention with 25 AYA survivors of childhood cancer ages 18-29 years.
A total of 108 potentially eligible individuals were initially identified for screening. Of the 45 individuals reached (contact rate = 41.67%), 20 declined to participate; 25 were enrolled in the study and completed the baseline survey (enrollment rate = 55.56%). Twenty-one participants completed the study (retention rate = 84%). Changes in several outcomes were promising, with medium to large effect sizes: Mindfulness ( = 0.74), Negative Emotion ( = 0.48), Perceived Stress ( = 0.52), and Mental Health ( = 0.45). Furthermore, results suggested that participants with consistent app usage showed greater improvement in reported outcomes than those who stopped their usage (e.g., Mindfulness: = 0.74, Perceived Stress: = 0.83, Mental Health: = 0.51; Meaning and Purpose: = 0.84; and Sleep Disturbance: = 0.81). Qualitative feedback indicated high satisfaction, but participants suggested adding group or individual peer support to improve their experience with the app.
AYA survivors can be difficult to reach, but a mindfulness app was feasible and acceptable to this group. In particular, the robust retention rate and high satisfaction ratings indicate that the meditation mobile app was well received. Preliminary results suggest positive changes in health-related quality of life outcomes, warranting a larger efficacy trial.
青少年和年轻成人（AYA）癌症幸存者由于癌症生存和正常发育过程的交叉，被认为是一个具有独特情感、社会和实际需求的脆弱群体。正念冥想在改善癌症患者的心理困扰方面显示出早期疗效。然而，基于应用程序的正念干预的全面科学研究仍处于早期阶段。本研究的目的是评估商业上可用的正念移动应用程序干预“Ten Percent Happier”在儿童癌症幸存者 AYA 中的可行性和可接受性。
我们对 25 名年龄在 18-29 岁的儿童癌症幸存者进行了单臂试点干预。
共有 108 名潜在合格的个体被初步确定进行筛查。在联系到的 45 人中（联系率为 41.67%），有 20 人拒绝参与；25 人入组并完成了基线调查（入组率为 55.56%）。21 名参与者完成了研究（保留率为 84%）。几项结果的变化很有希望，具有中到大的效应大小：正念（ = 0.74）、负性情绪（ = 0.48）、感知压力（ = 0.52）和心理健康（ = 0.45）。此外，结果表明，持续使用应用程序的参与者比停止使用应用程序的参与者在报告结果方面的改善更大（例如，正念： = 0.74，感知压力： = 0.83，心理健康： = 0.51；意义和目的： = 0.84；和睡眠障碍： = 0.81）。定性反馈表明满意度很高，但参与者建议增加小组或个人同伴支持，以改善他们对应用程序的体验。
AYA 幸存者难以接触，但正念应用程序对该群体是可行和可接受的。特别是，强大的保留率和高满意度表明，冥想移动应用程序受到了很好的欢迎。初步结果表明健康相关生活质量结果的积极变化，需要更大规模的疗效试验。
