A longitudinal, randomized and controlled study of app-delivered mindfulness in the workplace

Abstract

Since first popularized in clinical and therapeutic domains and operationalized as the intentional, non-judg-mental awareness of moment-to-moment experience [1, 2], the last two decades have seen an exponential rise in research on mindfulness meditation. Recent meta-analyses indicate that mindfulness meditation interventions may be effective for enhancing well-being [3], reducing anxiety and depression [4], and optimizing immune physiology [5] and daily functioning [6]. Other research indicates that mindfulness has beneficial effects on attention and cognitive performance [7], and that trait mindfulness is linked with personal and professional flourishing [8]. With its popularity and apparent effectiveness in optimizing health, well-being, and cognitive function, it is not surprising that mindfulness programs are of great interest as a preventive intervention for managing stress and well-being at work [9-12]. Mindfulness in the workplace has become more tractable with the development and popularity of mobile application [app]-delivered meditation content, available both in the public (i.e. free) and consumer domain. While mobile technology applied to health promotion has the potential to prevent disease and reduce health disparities, there is relatively little rigorous empirical research to accompany the growth of this health technology [13]. However, a recent spate of research indicates that app-delivered mindfulness meditation reduces self-reported stress, irritability[14], depression [15], burnout, and compassion fatigue [16], and attenuates the cortisol response to a psycho-social stress test compared to active control conditions [17]. App-based programming may prove particularly important for workforce populations with extreme time demands [16] and for more rural and blue-collar work-forces, which have lower rates of access and engagement with workplace mindfulness programming [18], and which present unique challenges for workplace well-being (e.g. [19]). Despite the apparent promise of app-delivered mind-fulness, less research has been conducted to examine who engages with mindfulness apps and how demographic characteristics or individual variation predict practice time, especially in the workplace [20]. This research gap is of great interest given a wealth of research indicating that the effects of mindfulness are reliant on and commensurate with time spent practicing [21-26]. While not all studies find a direct correlation between mindful-ness practice time and outcomes, a large body of research indicates that "on the cushion" practice time, rather than non-specific effects or simply learning mindfulness concepts , mediates the effects of mindfulness interventions [26, 27]. Qualitative research points to logistical or practical barriers to meditation practice, such as the prohibitive time commitment; [28] however, few studies have examined the facilitators and barriers to meditation practice, especially app-delivered meditation. Abstract Background: Workplace mindfulness meditation programs are of great interest for improving employee well-being and job performance, fueled in part by the apparent effectiveness of mindfulness meditation as well as by the recent proliferation of mobile mindfulness applications (apps) that can be incorporated into a workplace setting. It is critical to examine the facilitators and barriers to engaging with app-delivered mindfulness in the workplace to understand how biological, psychological, and socio-demographic variables impact practice time.