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.

IntroductionSelf-compassion refers to a non-evaluative, interconnected and mindful attitude towards oneself especially when facing difficulties or feelings of personal inadequacies. The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is a frequently used instrument designed to measure self-compassion either by using the six subscale scores, or by calculating a total score, averaged across all 26 items.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale, and in particular, whether the widely used six-factor model and the unidimensional model can be confirmed.MethodsThe internal structure of the SCS was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Six different models (a one-factor model, an oblique six-factor model, a higher-order model, an oblique two-factor model, a bi-factor model with one general factor (bifactor model) and a bi-factor model with two general factors, i.e. two-bifactor model) were tested in a sample of adolescents (n = 1725; 50.3% female; mean age = 16.56, SD = 1.95). All models were replicated using responses collected five months after the first data collection from 1497 students (W2), who were largely, but not completely, the same students involved in W1 data collection.ResultsFit indices for the two-factor model implied an acceptable fit, but none of the remaining models tested met the criteria for an adequate solution. Although the fit indices for the six-factor model suggested an acceptable fit to the data, in this model the negative components of the SCS were highly correlated with each other, especially with the over-identification factor.ConclusionThe results of this study provide evidence to support the use of the separate self-compassion- and self-coldness -scores rather than the overall score of the SCS. Although the fit indices supported the six-factor model, the use of six subscale scores cannot be recommended on the basis of our results given the extremely high correlations within this model between some factors.

Objectives Mindfulness-based programs/interventions (MBPs) are emerging as treatments for anxiety and stress for adults and adolescents. MBPs can also be helpful as universal interventions for healthy subjects. Few studies have looked at how beneficial MBP effects transfer to digital MBPs. Methods The study was a randomized controlled trial with 1349 participants aged mostly 16–19. We compared a digital MBP vs. a waitlist condition. Online questionnaire data were collected pre-program, post-program, and at 3-month follow-up. Results Completing the MBP resulted in a small-to-moderate reduction in anxiety (F1,681 = 13.71, p < .01, d = .26), a small reduction in depression (F1,686 = 8.54, p < .01, d = .15), and a small increase in psychological quality of life (F1,708 = 3.94, p = .05, d = .16). Attrition rate for the MBP was 41.5%. Conclusions The results suggest that digital MBPs can be successful in delivering at least some of the benefits characteristic of face-to-face MBPs.

Objectives The main effects of 8-week mindfulness-based programs (MBP) on anxiety and depression are now supported by reasonably robust evidence. However, few to no studies have looked at whether and how these main effects come to be over the course of the MBP. The goal of the present study was to look at how meditation practice predicted changes in well-being, and vice versa, at a weekly level, within an 8-week online MBP. Methods The participants were 457 Finnish upper secondary education students who underwent an 8-week online MBP. Appbased ecological momentary assessment data were collected on how many minutes the participants meditated (daily) and their anxiety, happiness, and sleep problems (weekly). These data were analyzed using a longitudinal (nine time point) path model. Results Participants' weekly minutes of mindfulness meditation were a consistent, albeit weak, predictor of decreases in anxiety and increases in happiness. During the course of the study, answer rates declined from 75.7% (Time 0) to 27.4% (Time 8) for anxiety, happiness, and sleep and from 80.5% to 37.0% for meditation minutes. Conclusions Results suggest well-being improvement from mindfulness meditation is an ongoing process and that ecological momentary assessment is a promising methodology for studying it.

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