Perspectives on Psychological Science
February 16, 2021
Simon B. Goldberg, Kevin M. Riordan, Shufang Sun et al.
492 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions show superiority to passive controls across a wide range of populations, problems, interventions, comparisons, and outcomes, with effect sizes ranging from 0.10 to 0.89. Effects are typically smaller and less often statistically significant compared with active controls, though mindfulness-based interventions are similar or superior to specific active controls and evidence-based treatments. Heterogeneity is typically moderate, few consistent moderators are found, and results are generally robust to publication bias. Reporting of adverse effects is inconsistent, and statistical power may be lacking in meta-analyses, particularly for comparisons with active controls.
Assessment
May 18, 2021
Simon B. Goldberg, Scott A. Baldwin, Kevin M. Riordan et al.
73 citations
A six-item Digital Working Alliance Inventory (DWAI) measuring the working alliance in unguided smartphone-based interventions shows good psychometric properties. In a cross-sectional survey of 290 meditation app users and the intervention arm of a randomized trial with 314 participants, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a single-factor structure. The DWAI demonstrated adequate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant validity (no association with social desirability, psychological distress, or preference for a waitlist condition). Convergent validity was supported by positive associations with perceived app effectiveness and preference for an app condition. DWAI scores positively predicted self-reported and objective app utilization. When assessed at Weeks 3 or 4, but not earlier, DWAI scores predicted pre-post reductions in psychological distress.
March 30, 2021
Matthew J. Hirshberg, Corrina Frye, Cortland J. Dahl et al.
5 citations
preprint
A four-week smartphone-based meditation app (Healthy Minds Program) reduced psychological distress and improved well-being among school system employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a randomized wait-list controlled trial with 662 participants (64% teachers), those assigned to the app showed significantly larger reductions in distress immediately after the intervention and at a three-month follow-up, with similar benefits on secondary outcomes such as perseverative thinking and social connection. The app was equally effective for participants with elevated baseline anxiety and depressive symptoms, and no evidence of elevated adverse events was found. The program may offer a scalable approach to supporting educator mental health.
February 19, 2023
Kevin M. Riordan, Otto Simonsson, Corrina Frye et al.
2 citations
preprint
A two-week compassion-based meditation intervention delivered via the Healthy Minds Program app led to improvements in psychological distress, experiential avoidance, fear of missing out, loneliness, and self-compassion among undergraduates with clinically elevated depression and/or anxiety. Participants were randomized to either one 20-minute meditation per day (Massed condition) or two 10-minute meditations per day (Distributed condition). Both groups showed similar improvements, with no significant differences between conditions on any outcome. When total daily meditation time is held constant, distributing practice across the day does not appear to influence outcomes for distressed beginners, supporting flexibility in meditation scheduling.
February 10, 2023
Qiang Xie, Kevin M. Riordan, Scott A. Baldwin et al.
2 citations
preprint
Among clinically distressed adults with no meditation experience who used a smartphone-based loving-kindness and compassion training program for two weeks, those who increased their informal meditation practice (using techniques outside formal sessions) showed greater reductions in psychological distress and loneliness from before to after the intervention, though no changes in empathy or prosociality were observed. Daily analyses indicated that more informal practice on a given day predicted lower distress the next day, but not lower loneliness. Distress and loneliness did not predict subsequent informal practice. The findings suggest that informal practice may play a causal role in reducing distress, but further experimental studies are needed.
JMIR Mental Health
June 12, 2026
Polina Beloborodova, Lillian M. Smith, Kevin M. Riordan et al.
About 28% of distressed college students and 10% of distressed US adults reported at least one adverse experience during a digital meditation program, but rates did not differ between those who completed guided meditations and those who did not, suggesting the experiences were not caused by meditation itself. Higher baseline depression, anxiety, loneliness, experiential avoidance, and perceived barriers to meditation predicted more adverse experiences. Among those reporting adverse experiences, roughly 90% were glad to have learned to meditate. Participants used diverse coping strategies, often drawing on skills taught in the program. The findings indicate that adverse experiences during meditation training may reflect preexisting distress rather than iatrogenic harm.