Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention Delivered Via Instant Messaging on Parents' Wellbeing: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Investigation of Moderators

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This research investigates the effects of mindfulness practice on mental wellbeing with the instruction recordings delivered via existing instant messaging applications, Whatsapp. The two-week mindfulness program targets parents with children in Secondary School or below. This research also explores how parenting and attachment styles moderate the intervention effects.

Official Title
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Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention Delivered Via Instant Messaging on Parents' Wellbeing: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Investigation of Moderators

Conditions
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Parents, Stress

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Mindfulness training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Parents with at least one child who is in Secondary School or below

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Experimental Group<br>The experimental group will be invited to listen to a 15-minute mindfulness instructional recording delivered daily through an instant messaging application and to practice accordingly for 14 consecutive days at their own choice of time and place. | Behavioral: Mindfulness training<br>* The intervention recordings will teach the basic concepts of mindfulness through simple guided meditations with content supported by science. Each recording has the same format that included (1) a daily theme, (2) a meditation exercise echoing the theme, (3) a suggested exercise for practice, and (4) an invitation for participants to give a short response to their meditation experience at the end of the recording.<br>|
| No Intervention: Waitlist control group<br>The waitlist control group will only be required to complete the demographic information, pre, post experiment and follow-up questionnaires before they receive the mindfulness training intervention. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Parental Stress Scale | The Parental Stress Scale was used to measure self-perceived stress specific to the parenting role. Parental Stress Scale was originally developed by Berry and Jones (1995) to measure parental feelings and experiences in terms of rewards, satisfaction, controllability, and stress. The minimum score was 0 and the maximum score was 64. A score of 0 represents lowest level of parental stress possible, whereas a score of 64 represents highest level of parental stress. Higher scores indicate worse outcome. | Change from Baseline Parental Stress Scale at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention | 
| Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale | The 31-item Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting scale was adopted to measure parents' self-reported engagement in mindful parenting (Duncan, 2007). The minimum score was 0 and the maximum score was 155. A score of 0 represents lowest level of parental mindfulness, whereas a score of 155 represents highest level of parental mindfulness possible. Higher scores indicate better outcome. | Change from Baseline Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting scale at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention | 
| Non-attachment to Self Scale | Non-attachment to Self Scale measures the absence of fixation on self-related concepts, thoughts and feelings, and a capacity to flexibly interact with these concepts, thoughts and feelings without trying to control them (Whitehead et al., 2018). The minimum score was 0 and the maximum was 49. The higher the score the more nonattached the participant. Higher scores indicate better outcome. | Change from Baseline Non-attachment to Self Scale at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention | 
| Nonattachment Scale - Short Form | Nonattachment Scale measures an individual's release from mental fixations in a flexible, balanced way of relating to one's experiences without clinging to or suppressing them (Chio, Lai, & Mak, 2018). The minimum score was 0 and the maximum was 48. The higher the score the more nonattached the participant. Higher scores indicate better outcome. | Change from Baseline Nonattachment Scale - Short Form at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention | 
| Peace of mind | Peace of mind scale measures an individual's internal state of peacefulness and harmony (Lee et al., 2013).The minimum score was 0 and the maximum score was 35. Higher scores reflect higher levels of peace of mind. Higher scores indicate better outcome. | Change from Baseline Peace of mind Scale - Short Form at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale-Short Form | The Experience in Close Relationship Scale is a 12 item self-report adult attachment style questionnaire focused on close relationships (Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998). It provides data on two continuous scales concerning the extent to which participants show attachment dimensions: anxiety and avoidance. The scale consists of 12 items which participants respond to on a seven-point scale. The minimum score was 0 and the maximum score for each scale was 72. The lower the score the more securely attached the participant. Higher scores indicate worse outcome. | Change from Baseline The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale - Short Form at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention | 
| Training Scale | The Training Scale measures child-rearing items specific to the Chinese culture (Chao, 1994). The training scale covered two areas, ideologies on child development and learning (involving seven items) and ideologies on the mother-child relationship (involving six items). The minimum score was 0 and the maximum score was 65. The higher the score the more the participant pertains to chiao shun, or training. | Change from Baseline Training Scale at immediately after the intervention and two weeks after intervention |