Mindful Kala: Virtual Bharatanatyam Wellness Program for Students

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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In the current study, the researchers propose to develop and pilot test a Bharatanatyam (i.e. Indian classical dance) program called Mindful Kala with the hopes of decreasing stress and increasing psychosocial well-being, mindfulness, cultural competence, and connectedness amongst a group of college students. The investigators hope that this program can help students cultivate well-being during the challenging and stressful time of COVID-19.

Detailed Description
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Objectives: Evaluate the effects of the Mindful Kala program on outcomes of health-related measures such as mindfulness, stress, connectedness, and wellbeing amongst students. The investigators hypothesize that participants will experience fewer symptoms of stress, increased mindfulness, increased well-being, and increased connectedness. Evaluate the effects of the Mindful Kala program on changes in measures of cultural competence. The investigators hypothesize that the level of cultural competence will increase among the students. Develop and examine the feasibility and acceptability of a 4-week Mindful Kala program for college students.

Official Title
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Mindful Kala: Investigating the Psychosocial Effects of a 4-Week Virtual Bharatanatyam Intervention for Students

Conditions
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Stress, Quality of Life, Cultural Competence

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: A 4-week Bharatanatyam course from the organization Mindful Kala


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Yale student 18 years of age or older Must complete all survey measures Is available for all of the designated Session One & Session Two dates and times Attends all of the designated Session One & Session Two dates and times Exclusion Criteria: Not a Yale student Not 18 years of age or older Does not complete all survey measures Is not available for all of the designated Session One & Session Two dates and times Does not attend all of the designated Session One & Session Two dates and times

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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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: This study uses a waitlist control design. The call for participants will be included in the Good Life Center newsletters sent the week of February 8th (if possible) and February 15th. Students will register by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 19th . If they are eligible, within the registration survey, participants will then progress to baseline assessments of stress, well-being, mindful awareness, cultural competence, and feelings of connectedness to the Yale community. Participants will be randomly assigned to either Session One or Session Two.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Session One<br>Session One participants undergo the 4-week course from 2/21/2021 to 3/15/2021 | Behavioral: A 4-week Bharatanatyam course from the organization Mindful Kala<br>* The 4-week Mindful Kala program focuses on three components of Bharatanatyam: nritta (i.e. technical movements), natya (i.e. storytelling), and nritya (i.e. a combination of movements and narration; nritta + natya).<br>|
| Experimental: Session Two<br>Session Two participants undergo the 4-week course from 3/22/2021 to 4/12/2021 | Behavioral: A 4-week Bharatanatyam course from the organization Mindful Kala<br>* The 4-week Mindful Kala program focuses on three components of Bharatanatyam: nritta (i.e. technical movements), natya (i.e. storytelling), and nritya (i.e. a combination of movements and narration; nritta + natya).<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in stress from Mindful Kala Intervention | A primary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala program reduces student stress levels. This will be measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (min = 0; max = 4) which consists of 10 scale items. The higher the score, the more likely participants are stressed. Participants who received the intervention in Session One will be compared to the control (Session Two). | Baseline, 4 weeks | 
| Change in subjective well-being from Mindful Kala Intervention | A primary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala program increases subjective well-being. This will be measured by the PERMA Scale (min = 0; max = 10) which consists of 15 scale items. The higher the score, the higher participant well-being. Participants who received the intervention in Session One will be compared to the control (Session Two). | Baseline, 4 weeks | 
| Change in mindful awareness from Mindful Kala Intervention | A primary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala program increases mindful awareness of the present moment. This will be measured by the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (min = 0; max = 4) which consists of 11 scale items. The higher the score, the more mindful participants are. Participants who received the intervention in Session One will be compared to the control (Session Two). | Baseline, 4 weeks | 
| Change in cultural competence from Mindful Kala Intervention | A primary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala program increases cultural competence. This will be measured by the Cultural Competencies Self-Assessment Survey (min = 0; max = 5) which consists of 26 scale items. The higher the score, the more culturally competent participants are. Participants who received the intervention in Session One will be compared to the control (Session Two). | Baseline, 4 weeks | 
| Change in connectedness from Mindful Kala Intervention | A primary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala program increases connectedness. This will be measured by one question asking questions how connected they feel to the Yale community (min = 1; max = 5). The higher the score, the more connected participants feel. Participants who received the intervention in Session One will be compared to the control (Session Two). | Baseline, 4 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Longitudinal Impact of Mindful Kala on Stress | A secondary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala intervention resulted in a longitudinal decrease in stress for Session One participants. This outcome is measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (min = 0; max = 4) which consists of 10 scale items. The higher the score, the more stressed participants are. | Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks | 
| Longitudinal Impact of Mindful Kala on Well-Being | A secondary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala intervention resulted in a longitudinal increase in well-being for Session One participants. This outcome is measured by the PERMA Scale (min = 0; max = 10) which consists of 15 scale items. The higher the score, the higher well-being participants have. | Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks | 
| Longitudinal Impact of Mindful Kala on Mindfulness | A secondary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala intervention resulted in a longitudinal increase in mindfulness for Session One participants. This outcome is measured by the Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (min = 0; max = 4) which consists of 11 scale items. The higher the score, the more mindful participants are. | Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks | 
| Longitudinal Impact of Mindful Kala on Cultural Competence | A secondary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala intervention resulted in a longitudinal increase in cultural competence for Session One participants. This outcome is measured by the Cultural Competencies Self-Assessment Survey (min = 0; max = 5) which consists of 26 scale items. The higher the score, the more culturally competent participants are. | Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks | 
| Longitudinal Impact of Mindful Kala on Connectedness | A secondary objective of this study is to determine whether the Mindful Kala intervention resulted in a longitudinal increase in connectedness for Session One participants. This outcome is measured by one question asking questions how connected they feel to the Yale community (min = 1; max = 5). The higher the score, the more connected participants feel. | Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks |