Is dosage of a meditation app associated with changes in psychological distress? It depends on how you ask.
Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science March 1, 2025 Simon B Goldberg, Ashley D Kendall, Matthew J Hirshberg et al. 15 citations
In a randomized controlled trial of a meditation app with 662 participants (80.4% had elevated depression or anxiety), the relationship between how much people used the app (dosage) and changes in psychological distress was inconsistent. Across 41 different statistical models, some showed that more use—measured in minutes, days, or activities completed—was linked to greater reductions in distress, but many models found no such link, and a few even suggested the opposite pattern. This variability highlights the challenge of defining and studying dosage in meditation app interventions and points to the need for careful, transparent methods in this area.