Effects of an 8-week app-based mindfulness intervention on mental health in working women: A randomized controlled trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Although working women experience increased work-related stress, preventive interventions to reduce its negative effects on their mental health are insufficient. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness-based self-help intervention via a smartphone application across four domains (general psychological, work-related, family-related, and work-to-conflict) among working women. METHODS This study recruited women workers via various media sources, such as crowdsourcing sites and social networking services. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=106) or waitlist control groups (n=107). Participants in the intervention group practiced guided mindfulness meditation every day at their convenience via an app on their cell phones for eight weeks. The app provides an 8-week program with four meditation contents per two weeks. Participants in the waitlist control group lived as usual for eight weeks. We conducted web-based questionnaires to assess participants’ general psychological (life satisfaction, perceived stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, trait anger, mindfulness), work-related (work performance, job satisfaction, quantitative job overload, job control), family-related (family satisfaction, partner satisfaction), and work-to-family conflict indicators. RESULTS An analysis of covariance, controlled for pre-intervention scores, revealed that the intervention significantly increased life satisfaction (b=1. 47, β=0. 11, P=. 005) and decreased perceived stress (b=-2. 00, β=-0. 17, P=. 012), depressive and anxiety symptoms (b=-1. 24, β=-0. 15, P=. 02), and trait anger/reaction (b=-0. 59, β=-0. 11, P=. 04). The intervention group demonstrated significantly increased life satisfaction (t93=-3. 36, P=. 001) and decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms (t93=2. 35, P=. 02). CONCLUSIONS The app was effective in reducing perceived stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and trait anger/reaction, and in improving life satisfaction among working women. However, to improve work- and family-related indicators, higher-intensity interventions may be required, such as modifying the intervention content or extending its duration. CLINICALTRIAL University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000051796; https: //center6. umin. ac. jp/cgi-open-bin/ctrₑ/ctrᵥiew. cgi? recptno=R000059110.