Healthy Minds Program App Dosage

Healthy Minds Program (HMP) App Dosage Study

The study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) meditation app on participants experiencing depression and/or anxiety. Participants will be assigned to use the HMP app 5- or 15-minutes per day for 4 weeks.

Depression and anxiety are highly common, but access to evidence-based treatments is limited. Meditation training delivered through mobile health (mHealth) technology may increase access to effective strategies. However, the necessary dosage of meditation practice to produce benefits is unknown. This project will investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the HMP app for depression and/or anxiety and the feasibility of randomly assigning participants to practice dosages. Further, the project will provide a preliminary evaluation of the linkages between practice dosage and outcomes assessed retrospectively and in-the-moment via ecological momentary assessment (EMA).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 or older
• Access to a smartphone or device capable of downloading HMP app
• Self-reported willingness to complete 1-2 min survey 4 times per day on phone for 4 weeks
• Able to speak, read, and write in English
• PROMIS Depression or PROMIS Anxiety >55

Exclusion Criteria:

• Meditation retreat experience
• Regular meditation practice (weekly practice for over 1 year OR daily practice within the previous 6 months)
• Previous practice under the instruction of a meditation teacher, other than in the context of an introductory course
• PROMIS Depression >70
• AUDIT C score greater than or equal to 4 for men, and greater than or equal to 3 for non-men (any other genders)