Dose-Response Effects of Mindfulness Meditation

NCT ID: NCT06378450

Last Updated: 2025-03-30

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

860 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-05-01

Study Completion Date

2025-06-30

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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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.

Conditions

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Well-Being, Psychological Depression

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators

Study Groups

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10-minute dose

Daily guided mindfulness meditation practices of 10-minute duration.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mindfulness meditation guided practice

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to recordings of mindfulness meditation practices from a newly developed 28-day program.

20-minute dose

Daily guided mindfulness meditation practices of 20-minute duration.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mindfulness meditation guided practice

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to recordings of mindfulness meditation practices from a newly developed 28-day program.

30-minute dose

Daily guided mindfulness meditation practices of 30-minute duration.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mindfulness meditation guided practice

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to recordings of mindfulness meditation practices from a newly developed 28-day program.

3-4 minute minimal dose

Short daily meditation approximating 3-4 minute duration (akin to the breathing space practice in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy or short practices in popular meditation apps).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Mindfulness meditation guided practice

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to recordings of mindfulness meditation practices from a newly developed 28-day program.

Interventions

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Mindfulness meditation guided practice

Participants will listen to recordings of mindfulness meditation practices from a newly developed 28-day program.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Reside in Australia, with no plans to relocate or travel overseas during the intervention period;
* Sufficient comprehension of the English language to complete measures;
* Register for an account and agree to the Terms and Conditions of Unforgettable.Me;
* If suffering anxious or depressive symptoms of moderate severity (defined by \> 19 on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System \[PROMIS\] Level 2 Anxiety or \> 22 on the PROMIS Level 2 Depression), must agree to continue recommended routine medical treatment for eligible underlying mental and/or physical health conditions or the duration of the study and to seek additional treatment if indicated by deterioration of symptoms;

Exclusion Criteria

* Self-reported current or lifetime serious mental illness (e.g., neurodevelopmental, schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, trauma-related, dissociative or personality disorder);
* Anxious and depressive symptoms in the severe range (defined by \>27 on the PROMIS Level 2 Anxiety or \> 32 on the PROMIS Level 2 Depression);
* Psychological distress symptoms in the severe range (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale \[K10\] \>= 30);
* Threshold scores on pre-screening and follow-up measures exceeded for Mania, Suicidal Ideation, Psychosis, Repetitive Thoughts \& Behaviors, Dissociation
* Moderate alcohol, tobacco, or drug use;
* Self-reported diagnosis of neurological condition (e.g., traumatic brain injury, amnesia, epilepsy, stroke, etc.);
* Self-reported presence of any serious medical condition (e.g., cancer, thyroid disorder, multiple sclerosis, etc.);
* Recent bereavement or major loss;
* History of unexplored, untreated traumatic experiences or adverse childhood events.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Melbourne

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Nicholas Van Dam

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Nicholas T Van Dam

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Melbourne

Locations

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Contemplative Studies Centre, The University of Melbourne

Carlton, Victoria, Australia

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Australia

Central Contacts

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Nicholas T Van Dam, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+61 3 8344 3644

Nicholas I Bowles

Role: CONTACT

+61 3 8344 3644

Facility Contacts

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Nicholas Van Dam, PhD

Role: primary

+61 3 9035 5511

Other Identifiers

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2022-23892-31512-2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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