Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and stress have been
increasing in many countries and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has further
exacerbated their toll. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown
to provide evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression, and
accumulating evidence is emerging in support of using mindfulness apps
yielding small-to-moderate treatment effects. The study was a 4-week
randomized controlled trial with 561 university students and staff as
participants, divided into a treatment group (mindfulness app) and an
active control group (psychoeducational online content). Depression,
anxiety, and stress were evaluated as primary study outcomes. Saliva
cortisol samples were also collected from a subgroup of the treatment
arm (n = 29). Using the mindfulness app for four weeks resulted
in small reductions in stress (d = .16), and depression (d = .16).
Attrition was 28.0%. Subjects who practiced more did not experience
additional improvement in wellbeing. Mindfulness apps offer modest but
clear benefits to users in terms of improved mental health. They present
a promising supplement to traditional mental health services.