2 - (SYM 44) Making Mindfulness-based Interventions Accessible for People of Color via Technology: The Mind-us Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are promising programs to help people of color (POC) cope with the deleterious effects of racial marginalization on mental health outcomes. For instance, previous research shows MBIs promote increases in mindfulness and self-compassion, traits associated with promotive and protective effects in POC. Similarly, MBIs lead to decreases in rumination, experiential avoidance, and emotion suppression, negative coping strategies often used by POC exposed to discriminatory treatment. Unfortunately, MBIs rarely reach POC, and digital approaches could reduce this treatment gap by addressing traditional barriers to care, such as limited access to mental health providers, financial and transportation burden, and stigma. This randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of a self-guided, app-based MBI for POC who reported elevated levels of discrimination.

Methods:  Participants (n = 155, M_age = 27.28, 39% Latinx, 37% Asian, 12% Black, 10% Multiracial, 2% Native American) who scored in the >75th percentile of the US-normed Multicultural Discrimination Module were assigned to either the intervention group (n = 80) or a wait-list control condition (n = 75), using block randomization. Those in the intervention group used the 10% Happier app to complete at least one meditation daily for approximately 10 minutes for four weeks. We used multilevel modeling in intention-to-treat analyses to examine mean differences between groups.

Results:  Compared with individuals in the control group, those who received the MBI app experienced greater increases in mindfulness (b = 0.463, t(306) = 3.71, p < .001, pseudo-R² = .45) and self-compassion (b = 0.239, t(306) = 2.93, p = .003, pseudo-R² = .72), as well as greater decreases in rumination (b = -0.399, t(306) = -4.12, p < .001, pseudo-R² = .65) and experiential avoidance (b = -0.323, t(306) = -3.26, p = .001, pseudo-R² = .67). No statistically significant differences were found for emotion suppression.

Conclusion:  A self-guided, app-based MBI is an effective intervention to promote resilience and reduce risk against race-related stressors among POC, an at-risk and historically underserved population. Thus, this low-intensity digital approach holds promise to make MBIs more widely available for groups experiencing marginalization.