Understanding How App-Based Mindfulness Helps Teens Ages 13 to 18 and Who Benefits Most From It

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to understand how mindfulness-based smartphone apps affect rumination, a mental process linked to depression and anxiety in adolescents aged 13 to 18. The study addresses key questions about the brain, cognitive effects, and who benefits most from app-based mindfulness training. Researchers will compare a mindfulness app course with an active control to explore these effects in this youth group. Participants will be randomly assigned to either use the Headspace mindfulness app, which features a 30-day program of guided meditations teaching mindfulness skills, or an active control program called Recharge within the same app. Both programs have the same structure and session length but differ in content, with the control focusing on positive imagery and daily planning without mindfulness exercises. The study includes pre- and post-intervention brain scans using resting state fMRI, cognitive tests for attention, and smartphone-based assessments of mindfulness skills and rumination. During the study, adolescents will complete brain imaging and cognitive tasks before and after the app programs. They will also report mindfulness and rumination through smartphone surveys throughout the 30-week period. Researchers will analyze changes in brain connectivity, attention control, and mindfulness skills to see how these relate to changes in rumination. The study also plans to use machine learning to predict which adolescents benefit most from app-based mindfulness training. Participation involves regular assessments and monitoring over several months.

Mechanisms and Predictors of Change in App-Based Mindfulness Training for Adolescents