Clinical trial NCT06518616: Meditation to Reduce Firefighter Distress
Official title: Reducing Psychological Distress in Fire Fighters With an Asynchronous App- Based Meditation Intervention
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Psychological Distress
Lead sponsor: University of Arizona
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-07-24
Enrollment: 192
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Randomized controlled trial
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The more than one million firefighters in the United States provide critical emergency medical services in communities they serve and are on the front lines of healthcare delivery, including in the post-pandemic world. As a result of exposure to occupational stressors, a high proportion of firefighters experience considerable stress-related burden including psychological distress (i.e., increased features of anxiety and depression). To address this need, this project will test the efficacy of a 10-day meditation intervention (i.e., 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) among career firefighters to decrease psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression).

Detailed description: The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of a 10-day meditation intervention (i.e., 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) versus an active attention control (i.e., 10-day health education intervention with 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) to reduce psychological distress among N=160 career firefighters (to address possible attrition, N=192 firefighters will be consented and enrolled). The following specific aims will guide the research:

Aim 1. Examine whether firefighters' psychological distress (i.e., features of anxiety \[primary outcome\], depression) is reduced at 10 days, 30 days, and 3 months after the meditation intervention versus an active attention control. Features of anxiety, features of depression will be assessed at baseline (T1), after the 10-day intervention (T2), 30 days later (T3), and 3 months later (T4).

Aim 2: Explore the extent to which reductions in psychological distress from the meditation intervention are mediated by mindfulness and perceived social connection.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria: 1) currently employed as a career firefighter, 2) 18 or older, 3) speak and understand English, and 4) own a smartphone (iPhone or Android) able to download and run the intervention apps.

Exclusionary factors: 1) diagnosis of an illness requiring use of corticosteroids (e.g., asthma), and 2) have ongoing or past regular meditation experience in the last 4 years (i.e. more than two meditation session \[completed or attempted\] per year either with a group or individually), as determined by the PI.

Primary outcomes:
measure: anxiety features
timeFrame: before, immediately after, 30 days after, and 3 months after the 10-day interventions
Secondary outcomes:
measure: depression features
timeFrame: before, immediately after, 30 days after, and 3 months after the 10-day interventions
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Tucson
country: United States
facility: University of Arizona
state: Arizona
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Arizona
name: Thaddeus Pace, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: