A MMA, or Mobile Mindfulness Application, is a smartphone app designed to deliver mindfulness-based interventions. These apps typically offer guided meditation sessions, breathing exercises, and other mindfulness practices accessible through mobile devices.
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Key Points
Rationale
The increasing prevalence of smartphone ownership has led to growing interest in the potential of mobile mindfulness applications (MMAs) to reduce depression symptoms.
Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of MMAs in reducing depressive symptoms in general populations (Flett et al., 2019; Bostock et al., 2019).
However, there is a lack of understanding regarding how real-world, self-directed MMA use may differ between depressed and non-depressed populations, particularly among young adults.
The research builds upon previous findings suggesting that young adults may prefer online help-seeking for mental health issues (Pretorius et al., 2019) and that clinical populations, including those with depression, are willing to use mindfulness applications (Beard et al., 2019).
By focusing specifically on young adults and examining differences across depression severity levels, this study provides valuable insights into the real-world application and perception of MMAs in a population at high risk for depression.
Method
The study employed a cross-sectional online survey design to collect data on MMA use, perceived helpfulness, reasons for use or non-use, and depression symptoms among young adults aged 18-30 years.
Procedure
Participants completed an online survey that included demographic questions, inquiries about their use of mental health applications (particularly MMAs), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to assess depression symptom severity.
Sample
The final sample consisted of 726 participants (552 female, 151 male, 23 other) aged 18-30 years (M = 21.61, SD = 3.45).
Participants were recruited through various methods, including university research participation systems, MTurk, Facebook advertising, and social media.
Measures
Statistical measures
Chi-square tests of independencewere used to assess differences in MMA use across demographic variables and depression severity categories.
Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were employed to analyze differences in perceived helpfulness across depression severity categories.
Results
Hypothesis 1
Participants with severe-extreme depression symptomology will be more likely to use MMAs compared to those with mild-moderate depression and no depression.
Hypothesis 2
Participants with severe-extreme depression and mild-moderate depression symptoms will report higher levels of perceived helpfulness for MMAs compared to those with no depression.
A significant difference was found in helpfulness ratings across depression severity categories (χ2(2, N = 230) = 20.815,p< .001, η2 = .09).
Participants with no depression rated MMAs as more helpful (Mdn = 8) compared to those with severe-extreme depression (Mdn = 6) and mild-moderate depression (Mdn = 6).
Additional findings
Insight
This study provides novel insights into the real-world use of mobile mindfulness applications (MMAs) among young adults with varying levels of depression severity.
The finding that young adults with severe-extreme depression symptoms were most likely to use MMAs suggests that this group views these applications as a viable self-help tool for managing their mental health.
This aligns with previous research indicating that young adults may more easily identify severe depression symptoms and be more motivated to improve their wellbeing (Klineberg et al., 2011; Tanielian et al., 2009).
However, the lower perceived helpfulness of MMAs among those with severe-extreme and mild-moderate depression symptoms compared to those with no depression is a critical finding.
This contrasts with some previous research on structured mindfulness interventions, which found greater symptom reductions for those with higher baseline depression scores (Chi et al., 2018; Kuyken et al., 2016).
The discrepancy may be due to differences in intervention duration, structure, or the self-directed nature of MMA use compared to more formal mindfulness programs.
The findings highlight the need for further investigation into why young adults with more severe depression symptoms find MMAs less helpful, despite being more likely to use them.
Future research should focus on:
Strengths
Limitations
Clinical Implications
The findings of this study have several important implications for clinical psychology practice and the development of digital mental health interventions:
These implications underscore the importance of a nuanced approach to incorporating MMAs into mental health care for young adults, particularly those with more severe depression symptoms.
While MMAs show promise as accessible self-help tools, their integration into clinical practice should be done thoughtfully, with consideration for individual needs and in conjunction with other evidence-based treatments.
References
Primary reference
Berg, D., & Perich, T. (2022). Use of mobile mindfulness apps in young adults with depression: Results from a cross-sectional survey.Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 53(1), 42–49.https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000411
Other references
Beard, C., Silverman, A. L., Forgeard, M., Wilmer, M. T., Torous, J., & Björgvinsson, T. (2019). Smartphone, social media, and mental health app use in an acute transdiagnostic psychiatric sample.JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(6), e13364.
Bostock, S., Crosswell, A. D., Prather, A. A., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being.Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), 127-138.
Chi, X., Bo, A., Liu, T., Zhang, P., & Chi, I. (2018). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on depression in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in Psychology, 9,1034.
Flett, J., Hayne, H., Riordan, B., Thompson, L., & Conner, T. (2019). Mobile mindfulness meditation: A randomised controlled trial of the effect of two popular apps on mental health.Mindfulness, 10(5), 863-876.
Klineberg, E., Biddle, L., Donovan, J., & Gunnell, D. (2011). Symptom recognition and help seeking for depression in young adults: A vignette study.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 46(6), 495-505.
Kuyken, W., Warren, F. C., Taylor, R. S., Whalley, B., Crane, C., Bondolfi, G., … & Dalgleish, T. (2016). Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in prevention of depressive relapse: An individual patient data meta-analysis from randomized trials.JAMA Psychiatry, 73(6), 565-574.
Pretorius, C., Chambers, D., & Coyle, D. (2019). Young people’s online help-seeking and mental health difficulties: Systematic narrative review.Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(11), e13873.
Tanielian, T., Jaycox, L. H., Paddock, S. M., Chandra, A., Meredith, L. S., & Burnam, M. A. (2009). Improving treatment seeking among adolescents with depression: Understanding readiness for treatment. Strengths(5), 490-498.
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Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
