Clinical trial NCT05826860: Storytelling and Mindfulness for Graduate Student Wellbeing
Official title: Determining the Effect of Mindfulness and Storytelling on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) Graduate Student Wellbeing
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Depression
Anxiety
Burnout, Student
Keywords: student burnout
mindfulness
creative writing
graduate students
STEM education
Lead sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-04-24
Enrollment: 20
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to evaluate an intervention for improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) graduate student wellbeing. Participants will be recruited from the University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student body. Data will be collected from participants for up to 2 years, and the investigators anticipate that the study will last for 4 years.

Detailed description: The objective of this research is to evaluate the utility of storytelling and mindfulness practice in improving wellbeing in STEM graduate students. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does engaging in mindfulness practice and storytelling increase measures of wellbeing in this population?
2. Does engaging in mindfulness practice and storytelling increase measures of academic success?

Participants will be asked to:

* complete a survey evaluating wellbeing and academic success
* attend 2 storytelling workshops
* use a guided mindfulness mobile app for 2 weeks

Researchers will compare survey results from participants in the control group (no intervention, survey only) to those from participants in the intervention group (workshops, mindfulness, and survey) to see if the measures of wellbeing and academic success differ between groups.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 or older
* Current graduate student in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
* No significant experience with mindfulness practice

Exclusion Criteria:

* Under 18
* Significant experience with mindfulness practice
* Not a current graduate student in a STEM field at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change from Baseline in Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in Perceived stress scale at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in WHO-5 Well-being Index at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in PROMIS Depression Questionnaire at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in PROMIS Anxiety Questionnaire at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Questionnaire at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in PROMIS Global Health Questionnaire at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in Vanderweele Flourishing Measure at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in Academic Working Alliance Inventory at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in Academic Persistence Inventory at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change from Baseline in Copenhagen Burnout Inventory at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change in Baseline in Healthy Minds Index at 4 weeks
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 weeks
measure: Change in Grade Point Average
timeFrame: Baseline, year one - semester one, year one - semester two, year two - semester one, year two - semester two
measure: Change in Dissertator status
timeFrame: Baseline, year one - semester one, year one - semester two, year two - semester one, year two - semester two
measure: Change in Enrollment status
timeFrame: Baseline, year one - semester one, year one - semester two, year two - semester one, year two - semester two
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Madison
country: United States
facility: Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
state: Wisconsin
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison
name: Jo Handelsman, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: