The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test for evidence of dose-response effects in a sample of healthy adults with little to no prior experience with meditation. The main question it aims to answer is whether larger doses of mindfulness meditation yield greater positive changes in wellbeing than smaller doses. Our hypotheses are that (1) larger doses of mindfulness training will yield significantly larger effects, and (2) different doses will be significantly associated with variation in participant engagement, with lower engagement associated with higher doses. Researchers will compare each of three dose conditions, 10-min, 20-min, 30-min, against a minimal dose condition of 3-4 min. Participants will take a 28-day mindfulness meditation course, with guided audio instructions provided daily throughout the intervention period (excluding one rest day per week). They will also be asked to respond to surveys before, during, and after the intervention.
The study will compare the efficacy of receiving different "doses" of mindfulness training over a 28-day period in a prospective 4-armed, parallel-group randomised controlled trial. Participants will be randomised into one of the 4 groups: 10 minutes of meditation per day, 20 minutes of meditation per day, 30 minutes of meditation per day, or a minimal dose of 3-4 minutes of meditation per day. All participants will be encouraged not to complete any further mindfulness training or practice during the intervention period, apart from informal practice during daily life. Self-reported biopsychosocial measures will be evaluated at four time points; before randomization (baseline; T0), 2 weeks after randomisation (mid-intervention, T0.5), 4 weeks after randomization (post-intervention; T1), and 2 months after randomization (post follow-up; T2). In addition, weekly and daily outcomes will be evaluated between T0 and T1. Individual adherence and meditation-related experiences (including adverse events) will be monitored and compared across treatments. The trial will consist of three main phases: the Run-in Period, the Intervention Period, and the Follow-up period, as described below.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
860
Participants will listen to recordings of mindfulness meditation practices from a newly developed 28-day program.
Contemplative Studies Centre, The University of Melbourne
Carlton, Victoria, Australia
RECRUITINGPsychological wellbeing
Psychological well-being will be assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), which includes 14 positively worded items of mental well-being for the past 2-weeks, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (None of the time) to 5 (All of the time).
Time frame: Baseline, Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Psychological Distress
Psychological distress will be assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), a 10-item self-report measure of psychological distress over the past month, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (None of the time) to 5 (All of the time)
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Anxiety
Anxiety will be assessed using (i) the PROMIS Anxiety Short Form, a 7-item measure of the pure domain of anxiety over the past 7 days, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always), and (ii) the Anxiety subscale of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), a 7-item measure of anxiety over the past 7 days, on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 (Did not apply to me at all - never) to 3 (Applied to me very much, or most of the time).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Depression
Depression (secondary outcome) will be assessed at T0, T0.5, T1, and T2 using the PROMIS Depression Short Form, an 8-item measure of depression over the past 7 days, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Nonattachment
Nonattachment will be assessed using the Nonattachment Scale (NAS-7, which measures the Buddhist notion of nonattachment on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (Disagree strongly) to 5 (Agree strongly).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Trait Mindfulness
Trait Mindfulness will be assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), a 15-item measure that includes five factors representing elements of mindfulness, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Never or very rarely true) to 5 (Very often or always true)
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Decentering
Decentering (secondary outcome) will be assessed at T0, T0.5, T1, and T2 using the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ), an 11-item measure of decentering, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (All the time).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Equanimity
Equanimity will be assessed with the Two Factor Equanimity Scale (EQUA-S), a 14-item measure of equanimity, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (Very often or always).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Repetitive Negative Thoughts
Repetitive negative thoughts will be assessed with the Repetitive Negative Thoughts Questionnaire (RNTQ), a 22-item measure of repetitive negative thinking, on a 6-point Likert scale from 1 (Not at all typical of me) to 6 (Extremely typical of me)
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Emotional Regulation
Emotional Reactivity will be assessed using the Perth Emotional Reactivity - Short Form (PERS-S), an 18-item measure of the activation, intensity, and duration of one's emotional responses, on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Very unlike me) to 5 (Very like me)
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Attentional Control
Attention Control will be assessed with the Attention Control Scale - Short-Form (ATTC-SF), a 10-item measure that includes two subscales of attention (shifting and focusing), on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Almost never) to 4 (Always).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Emotional Reactivity
Emotional Regulation measured by the Perth Emotional Reactivity - Short Form (PERS-S), an 18-item measure of the activation, intensity, and duration of one's emotional responses on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Very unlike me) to 5 (Very like me).
Time frame: Baseline, Mid-intervention (2 weeks), Post-intervention (4 weeks), Follow-up (8 weeks)
Social Anxiety
Social Anxiety will be assessed with the Social Anxiety Disorder Severity Scale (SAD-D), a 10-item measure assessing the severity of symptoms of social anxiety in the past 7 days on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (Never) to 4 (All of the time).
Time frame: Baseline, Post-intervention (4 weeks)
Sleep Quality
Sleep will be measured by the single-item Sleep Quality Scale on a 10-point Likert scale: Terrible (1), Poor (2-4), Fair (5-7), Good (7-9) to Excellent (10)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks
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