Mindfulness-Based Interventions Targeting First-Generation College Student Retention in Rural Environments

NCT ID: NCT06789731

Last Updated: 2026-01-28

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

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

53 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-01-01

Study Completion Date

2027-06-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this randomized control group is to learn about effective treatments for college students experiencing anxiety and/or depression. The main questions this clinical trial aims to answer are: 1) Can mindfulness-based treatments increase retention rates among first-generation college students? 1) Can mindfulness-based treatments decrease anxiety and/or depression among first-generation college students?

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups: mindfulness meditation or psychoeducation. Researchers will compare outcomes from each group to explore treatment differences.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Method/Design. This study will be a remote, two-arm, randomized, controlled trial. First-generation college students (N=53) will be randomized to either mindfulness meditation (MM), or psychoeducation (PE). The mindfulness meditation will be a loving kindness meditation adapted to apply to college communities. Each intervention will be applied for 30 minutes, once a week, for four weeks through a remote platform. The MM is adapted through a validated brief mindfulness-based intervention framework (Zeidan, 2010). The primary outcome, intention to persist in college, and the secondary outcomes, depression and anxiety, will be assessed by a blinded researcher at baseline, one-week post treatment, and one-month follow-up. Change in sense of connection during the final treatment session, measured with a comprehensive battery of self-report indices, will be the primary therapeutic mechanism.

Aims and Objectives. The proposed project's central hypothesis is that MM will increase first-generation students' intention to persist in college and increase their emotional well-being by increasing their sense of belonging in their college community. Aim 1. Examine MM's effect on first-generation college students' intention to persist in college (primary outcome) over time. Hypothesis: Participants who are randomized into the MM group will report higher intention to persist scores from baseline to one-month follow-up than those who are randomized to PE. Aim 2.

Exploratory. Determine MM's effect on anxiety and depression scores (co-secondary outcomes) over time. Hypothesis: MM will decrease depression and anxiety relative to PE from baseline to one-month follow-up. Aim 3: Exploratory. Investigate whether transcendent states during the final MM session predicts students' intention to persist scores. Hypothesis: The effect of MM on students' intention to persist will be mediated by self-transcendent experience during mindfulness practice.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Depression Anxiety

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants will be randomized to receive either: 1) Mindfulness Meditation or 2) Psychoeducation
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors
The PI will randomly assign participants to condition and coordinate treatment group scheduling; the assessor will be blinded to condition.

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Psychoeducation

Participants will receive recordings online, once a week for four weeks which will be approximately 30 minutes in length.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Psychoeducation

Intervention Type OTHER

In the psychoeducation arm, participants will receive information related to creating connections with campus community and managing anxiety and/or depression through a presentation. They will also receive information on resources for connecting with their community and treating anxiety and/or depression.

Mindfulness Meditation

Participants will meet virtually with the mindfulness practitioner once a week for four weeks for 30-minute segments.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mindfulness Meditation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness meditation will be facilitated by a seasoned mindfulness practitioner. Participants will be guided through a loving kindness meditation adapted to apply to college communities and designed to help increase a sense of interconnectedness among their college community. They will also learn how to deconstruct feelings of anxiety and/or depression into sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation will be facilitated by a seasoned mindfulness practitioner. Participants will be guided through a loving kindness meditation adapted to apply to college communities and designed to help increase a sense of interconnectedness among their college community. They will also learn how to deconstruct feelings of anxiety and/or depression into sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation

In the psychoeducation arm, participants will receive information related to creating connections with campus community and managing anxiety and/or depression through a presentation. They will also receive information on resources for connecting with their community and treating anxiety and/or depression.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

18 years or older. Currently enrolled in four-year college in the United States. First-generation college student. Access to WiFi and a computer/smartphone/tablet. English speaking.

Exclusion Criteria

Not currently enrolled in a four-year college. Not a first-generation college student. Non-English speaker. Not able to utilize WiFi or computer/tablet/smartphone.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

64 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Mind and Life Institute, Hadley, Massachusetts

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of South Dakota

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Natalie Lecy

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of South Dakota

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

University of South Dakota

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Natalie Lecy

Role: CONTACT

6058644151

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Natalie Lecy, PhD

Role: primary

8019103165

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Steer RA, Brown GK, Beck AT, Sanderson WC. Mean Beck Depression Inventory-II scores by severity of major depressive episode. Psychol Rep. 2001 Jun;88(3 Pt 2):1075-6. doi: 10.2466/pr0.2001.88.3c.1075.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11597055 (View on PubMed)

Hanley AW, Garland EL. Mapping the Affective Dimension of Embodiment With the Sensation Manikin: Validation Among Chronic Pain Patients and Modification by Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement. Psychosom Med. 2019 Sep;81(7):612-621. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000725.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31246748 (View on PubMed)

Hanley AW, Nakamura Y, Garland EL. The Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment (NADA): New tools to assess nondual traits and states of consciousness occurring within and beyond the context of meditation. Psychol Assess. 2018 Dec;30(12):1625-1639. doi: 10.1037/pas0000615. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30058824 (View on PubMed)

Knowles KA, Olatunji BO. Specificity of trait anxiety in anxiety and depression: Meta-analysis of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Clin Psychol Rev. 2020 Dec;82:101928. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101928. Epub 2020 Oct 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33091745 (View on PubMed)

Sims M, Wyatt SB, Gutierrez ML, Taylor HA, Williams DR. Development and psychometric testing of a multidimensional instrument of perceived discrimination among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study. Ethn Dis. 2009 Winter;19(1):56-64.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19341164 (View on PubMed)

Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9635069 (View on PubMed)

Navarro O, Olivos P, Fleury-Bahi G. "Connectedness to Nature Scale": Validity and Reliability in the French Context. Front Psychol. 2017 Dec 12;8:2180. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02180. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29312052 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

23-117

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Well-being Skills for Reentry
NCT06975657 RECRUITING NA