Massed and Spaced HMP App Dosage Study

This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 2 weeks of the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) app Connection module in undergraduate students of a large, midwestern state university in the United States during the spring of 2021. Participants will be recruited via email and/or flyers and will first complete an online screen. Eligible participants will complete baseline measures prior to attending an introductory session via web conferencing. During this session, participants will be randomly assigned to condition. Participants in both conditions will be asked to use the HMP app for 20 minutes per either, either split over two 10-minute session (Spaced condition) or in one 20-minute session (Massed condition). Participants will complete daily survey measures during the study and post-test measures after 2 weeks of intervention. This study is primarily designed to assess feasibility and acceptability of 2 weeks of Connection training and assignment to dosage condition. Study team will investigate self-reported informal practice on the daily diary measure, measures of psychological distress (composite of depression, anxiety) and loneliness.

Participant will be asked to use the HMP app for 20 minutes per day in one 20-minute meditation session.

Participant will be asked to use the HMP app for 20 minutes per day in two 10-minute meditation sessions.

The HMP app was developed by Healthy Minds Innovations at the UW Center for Healthy Minds, and is based on the work of Drs. Richard Davidson and Cortland Dahl. HMP is designed to promote and protect psychological well-being through sustainable skills training. The program is grounded in constituents of psychological well-being identified in empirical literature. HMP provides core content, with instruction administered through a curriculum of high-quality guided practices. HMP is based on research on eudaimonic well-being (e.g., environmental mastery, purpose) and brain-based skills that underlie these qualities (e.g., regulation of attention, mental flexibility). HMP has >100 guided audio practices that address 4 constituents of well-being: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Participants in this study will receive 2 weeks of training in the Connection module of HMP.

System usability scale is (SUS) is a 10-item Likert scale questionnaire that provides information on the ease of use (or lack thereof) of websites, software, hardware, mobile devices, and other technological applications. Higher SUS score correlates to better usability of an app, total score range = 0 to 100

Psychological distress computed as composite of 4-item PROMIS Depression measures. Scores range from 4 to 20 with higher scores representing worse symptoms.

Psychological distress computed as composite of 4-item PROMIS Anxiety measures. Scores range from 4 to 20 with higher scores representing worse symptoms.

NIH toolbox loneliness measures the perceptions that one is alone, lonely, or socially isolated from others. It is a 5-item scale. Total score range = 5 to 25, lower score is better

This 12-item measure assesses participant's self-compassion ability, total score range = 12 to 60, higher scores correlate to more self-compassion.

Acceptance and Action Questionnaire- II measures psychological flexibility Experiential avoidance, total score range = 7 to 49. Higher total scores mean less flexibility, while lower total scores mean more flexibility. Lower score is better.

Composite of highest loading PROMIS items modified to reference "today," z-transformed to have mean of 0 and standard deviation of 1, lower score is better.

Single item informal meditation practice measure, "As you reflect on today, to what extent did you apply these practices?" Scores range from 0 to 100. A higher score is better.

The Digital Working Alliance Inventory measures the therapeutic relationship between participant and HMP app. Total score range = 6 to 42, higher score is better.

Inclusion Criteria: 18 years or older Undergraduate at UW-Madison Access to a smartphone or device capable of downloading HMP app PROMIS Depression or PROMIS Anxiety ≥55 Exclusion Criteria: Meditation retreat experience Regular meditation practice (i.e., weekly practice for >1 year OR daily practice within previous 6 months) Previous practice under the instruction of a meditation teacher, other than in the context of an introductory course PROMIS Depression ≥70

Data will be de-identified and listed in public data registries (i.e., osf) based on the publication of preregistered study hypotheses on a manuscript by manuscript basis.