The impact of technology supported mindfulness training on attention and emotion

Abstract

INTERVENTION: Following initial telephone screening interviews, participants sre invited to attend assessment sessions at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Centre in Toronto, Canada, a Health Centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Participants complete a short battery of attention and executive control tasks, and self-report measures of well-being. Participants are blind to experimental condition while completing the baseline assessment battery, before being informed of their group assignment to the mindfulness training or active control conditions. Randomization is carried out using a random number generator in the MATLAB computing environment, which randomly assigns sub-blocks of 4 participants to ensure even recruitment throughout the study, i.e. within each sub-block, 2 participants are assigned to the mindfulness training group and 2 are assigned to the control group. Randomization is performed by the study PI and communicated to the research assistants upon participant booking without any direct contact between the PI and participants. Mindfulness Training: To deliver the technology supported MT intervention, Interaxon Inc.'s Muse is employed, a wireless EEG headset and accompanying mobile device software application. Participants are provided with a Muse headset, iPod with the pre-installed Calm App, charging cables and headphones. Participants are taught to set up the Muse headset and associated software application, which delivers a guided-meditation application focusing attention on the breath, a core introductory meditation practice in mindfulness training. The application provides step-by-step instructions on operating the headset and guides participants through MT sessions. Users begin a mediation session by clicking on an icon and are lead through the exercise by a voice recording. The Muse headset collects data and transmits the information to the application that provides real-time auditory feedback during the meditation session. I CONDITION: General affective health ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders ; General affective health PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. Affective symptom severity is measured using the Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ-SADS) at baseline and 6 weeks; 2. Attention is measured using reaction time on a behavioural Stroop Task at baseline and 6 weeks SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Dispositional mindfulness is measured using the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) at baseline and 6 weeks; 2. Current emotional state is measured using the Positive and Negative Affective Schedule (PANAS) at baseline and 6 weeks; 3. Well-being (physical, psychological, social, and environmental) is measured using the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHOQOL-BREF) at baseline and 6 weeks; 4. Personality trait impact on intervention responsiveness is measured using the Big Five Inventory (BFI) personality checklist at baseline and 6 weeks INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Fluency in English 2. Normal or corrected to normal vision 3. Aged 18 and over TS - CCTR M4 - Citavi