Evaluating the Psychophysiological Effects of a Smartphone-Based Mindfulness Task

York University2,016 enrolled

Overview

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of a smart phone based mindfulness meditation app (MMA) for individuals with clinically significant symptoms of major depression and/or anxiety, or symptoms of chronic pain. Specifically, the study aims to examine parasympathetic tone using HRV (primary outcome), mind-wandering and present awareness, mood symptoms, and breath focus in groups of participants who self-report clinically significant symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (DA), chronic pain symptoms (CP), as well as control participants who do not meet our criteria for either (Controls (C). All study groups will be randomized to a mindfulness meditation app (MMA+) condition or a mindfulness meditation condition without the app (MMA-) after a brief stress-induction procedure.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

2,016

Conditions

Chronic Pain Depression, Anxiety

Interventions

A meditative practice involving paying attention to present moment experiences and focusing on breathing sensations.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * York University students Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals with diagnosed cardiac conditions (e.g. coronary artery disease, arrhythmias etc) will be excluded due to confounds with heart rate variability assessment

Locations (1)

York University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Heart Rate Variability

A stress biomarker derived from heart rate recordings that reflects parasympathetic control of cardiac output

Time frame: 22 minutes

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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