Table 1.
Summary of randomized control trials using mindfulness-based mobile applications.
| Author/year | Intervention (intervention group) |
App | Control group | Study population | Outcome/psychometry | Results |
| O`Donnell [37], 2020 | 10 min a day over 30 days | Insight Timer | Wait-list control group | General adult population | Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7); well being | Not available yet |
| Huberty [38], 2019 | 10 min a day over 56 days | Calm | Wait-list control group | College students | Stress, well-being, mindfulness, sleep, alcohol consumption, physical activity | Significant effects in all measured parameters in the intervention group |
| Möltner [39], 2017 | Daily over 14 days | 7Mind | Waitlist control group | Employees | Mindfulness, work engagement, job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, emotional intelligence, innovation and creativity, and self-efficacy. | Significant effects in all measured parameter in the intervention group |
| Economides [40], 2018 | 10 min a day over 14 days | Headspace | Audiobook about mindfulness | General adult population with no history of psychiatric disorder | Stress-level, irritability, affection/Stress Overload Scale, Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) | Significant reduction of stress level, irritability, significant changes in SPANE score in the intervention group |
| Howells [41] 2015 |
10 min a day over 14 days | Headspace | Catch Notes | Facebook and LinkedIn users | The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Flourishing scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) | Significant increase in positive effects in the intervention group |
| Bennike [42] 2020 |
10-20 a day over 28 days | Headspace | Cognitive training | General adult population with no history of psychiatric disorder | Mind wandering, Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) | Sign. reduction of mind wandering in the intervention group |
| Lim [43] 2015 |
21 days | Headspace | Cognitive training | Students | Compassion | (not significant) increase of compassion in the intervention group |
| Ly [44] 2014 |
3-30 min a day over 56 days |
App developed for the clinical trial | Behavioral activation via an app developed for the clinical trial | Patients with MDD (Major depression d isorder) |
Symptom severity (Beck Depression Inventory II [BDI-II], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) | No significant differences between the intervention and the control group |