Headspace for parents: qualitative report investigating the use of a mindfulness-based app for managing parents' stress during COVID-19

Effects of an online mindfulness-based program for parents of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a pilot, mixed methods study

Objectives

Online mindfulness-based program (MBP) for parents and families especially in clinical population is limited. Engagement and significant dropout are major issues in MBP implementation. This pilot study examined the effects of an online mindfulness-based program (MBP) on parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Methods

A mixed methods study was applied to evaluate the effects of the MBP. A total of 43 parents were recruited and were randomly assigned into intervention group and waitlist control group. The online MBP lasted for 28 days, including 20 psychoeducation videos, homework audio guidance, and four instructor-led online group meetings. Purposive sampling was used to recruit parents who completed the program to share their experiences and suggestions for improving the program in semi-structured online interviews.

Results

Quantitative data showed that participants from the online MBP reported a medium to large effect on the reduction of child ADHD symptoms. In semi-structured interviews, participants reported positive experiences in their help seeking intention, and personal changes, such as emotion regulation and quality attention to their children. Participants further made suggestions for improvement.

Conclusions

The effect of online MBP is promising, and the program should be conducted. A large scale randomized controlled trial should be conducted to investigate the effects of MBP in clinical populations.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05480423.

The Indirect Effects of a Mindfulness Mobile App on Productivity Through Changes in Sleep Among Retail Employees: Secondary Analysis

Background

Chronic sleep disturbance is prevalent among United States employees and associated with costly productivity impairment. Mindfulness interventions improve sleep (ie, insomnia and daytime sleepiness) and productivity outcomes, and mobile apps provide scalable means of intervention delivery. However, few studies have examined the effects of mindfulness mobile apps on employees, and no research to date has tested the role of sleep improvement as a potential mechanism of action for productivity outcomes.

Objective

This study examined the effects of Calm, a consumer-based mindfulness app, and sleep coaching, on productivity impairment among retail employees through the indirect effects of changes in insomnia and daytime sleepiness.

Methods

This study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial (N=1029) comparing the use of Calm (n=585, 56.9%) to a waitlist control (n=444, 43.2%) for 8 weeks among employees of a large retail employer in the United States. A subset of individuals with elevated insomnia symptoms also had access to brief sleep coaching with Calm (n=101, 9.8%). Insomnia symptom severity, daytime sleepiness, and productivity impairment (ie, absenteeism, presenteeism, overall productivity impairment, and non–work activity impairment) were assessed at baseline and weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. Indirect effects were evaluated with latent growth curve modeling to test whether the Calm intervention (Calm group vs waitlist control) was effective in reducing work productivity impairment through changes in sleep disturbance.

Results

No significant main effects of Calm intervention on productivity impairment were detected for any outcome at α level of .05, with the exception of non–work activity impairment models, in which Calm intervention reduced non–work activity impairment over time (P=.01 and P=.02 for insomnia and sleepiness models, respectively). Significant indirect effects of insomnia were detected for presenteeism (P=.002), overall work productivity (P=.01), and non–work activity impairment (P=.002); Calm intervention produced significantly greater reductions in insomnia symptoms (relative to waitlist control), and decreases in insomnia were associated with decreases in work productivity impairment. There was no significant indirect effect of change in insomnia on changes in absenteeism (P=.20). Furthermore, we detected no significant indirect effects of daytime sleepiness on productivity impairment.

Conclusions

We found that Calm (plus sleep coaching for a small subset of individuals) had beneficial effects on employee sleep, and these benefits on sleep were related to indirect effects on productivity impairment (ie, presenteeism, overall work productivity impairment, and non–work activity impairment). There were no overall main effects of Calm intervention on productivity impairment; however, insomnia appears to be a mechanism associated with benefits for employee productivity. This is one of the first studies to suggest that sleep benefits of a mindfulness mobile app may also indirectly relate to benefits for workplace productivity.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05120310; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05120310