Anxiety & Depression Association of America

The COMParing App Support Strategies Study

Purpose

The overall purpose of this study is to help determine how best to incorporate small amounts of human and digital support into a meditation app. The meditation app used is the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) which provides training in four pillars of well-being (Awareness, Connection, Insight, Purpose) through a combination of podcast-style didactic material and guided meditation practices.

Condition

Depression, Anxiety

Eligibility

Eligible Ages: Between 18 Years and 65 Years
Eligible Sex: All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Inclusion Criteria

Elevated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (PHQ-9 greater than or equal to 10, GAD-7 greater than or equal to 10) - Proficiency in English - Access to a smartphone and internet - Ability to receive text messages

Exclusion Criteria

Non-US citizen or legal resident (green card holder) - History of psychosis or mania - Suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm indicated by PHQ9 item 9 and BDI item 9 - Individuals who do not provide the information required for GUID generation - Previous participation

Study Design

Phase: N/A
Study Type: Interventional
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Masking: None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

Arm	Description	Assigned Intervention
Experimental Coaching		Other: Introductory Coaching Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute meditation coaching session
Experimental Coaching with On-Demand email support		Other: Introductory Coaching Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute meditation coaching session Other: On-Demand Email Support email support throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: email
Experimental Coaching and microsupport		Other: Introductory Coaching Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute meditation coaching session Other: Microsupport Text message microsupport throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: text message
Experimental Coaching with On-Demand email support and microsupport		Other: Introductory Coaching Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute meditation coaching session Other: On-Demand Email Support email support throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: email Other: Microsupport Text message microsupport throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: text message
No Intervention No additional support
Experimental On-Demand email support		Other: Introductory Information Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute information session Other: On-Demand Email Support email support throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: email
Experimental Microsupport		Other: Introductory Information Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute information session Other: Microsupport Text message microsupport throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: text message
Experimental On-Demand email support and microsupport		Other: Introductory Information Session Participant is randomized to receive a 30-minute information session Other: On-Demand Email Support email support throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: email Other: Microsupport Text message microsupport throughout the 4 week intervention period Other names: text message

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status: Recruiting
Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Study Contact

Wendy Lau, PhD
608-890-2747
wendy.lau@wisc.edu

Detailed Description

Participants will be randomly assigned to various support conditions that vary across three binary factors, 1. Coaching session vs no coaching 2. On-demand email support (Yes/No) 3. Microsupport messages (Yes/No) Participants will be screened for eligibility using a web-based screener that assesses inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligible participants will receive a study overview and will have the option to go through an online consent process. After giving consent, participant will receive a text message to assess their ability to receive text messages and tab on a link embedded in the text message. Those who failed to go through this process will be screened out. Participants consented will complete a baseline survey consisting of a series of questionnaires and daily check-in assessment sent to their phone. Only those who successfully complete the baseline survey and the first daily check-in survey will advance in the study. Participants will schedule a meeting with our study staff member after completing the baseline survey and first daily check-in survey. They will be assessed through questionnaires at baseline, weekly during the 4-week intervention period, and at 6-month follow-up. They will also complete daily check-in survey twice a day throughout the intervention.