Data from: Mindfulness online: a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of a web-based mindfulness course and the impact on stress

OBJECTIVES: Stress has been shown to have a number of negative effects on health over time. Mindfulness interventions have been shown to decrease perceived stress but access to interventions is limited. Therefore, the effectiveness of an online mindfulness course for perceived stress was investigated. DESIGN: A preliminary evaluation of an online mindfulness course. PARTICIPANTS: This sample consisted of 100 self-referrals to the online course. The average age of participants was 48 years and 74% were women. INTERVENTIONS: The online programme consisted of modules taken from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and lasted for approximately 6 weeks. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before the course, after the course and at 1-month follow-up. Completion of formal (eg, body scan, mindful movement) and informal (eg, mindful meal, noticing) mindfulness activities was self-reported each week. RESULTS: Participation in the online mindfulness course significantly reduced perceived stress upon completion and remained stable at follow-up. The pre-post effect size was equivalent to levels found in other class-based mindfulness programmes. Furthermore, people who had higher PSS scores before the course reported engaging in significantly more mindfulness practice, which was in turn associated with greater decreases in PSS. CONCLUSIONS: Because perceived stress significantly decreased with such limited exposure to mindfulness, there are implications for the accessibility of mindfulness therapies online. Future research needs to evaluate other health outcomes for which face-to-face mindfulness therapies have been shown to help, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms.

研究目的：长期以来，压力已被证实会对健康产生诸多负面影响。正念干预（Mindfulness Intervention）可降低个体感知到的压力，但此类干预的获取渠道十分有限。为此，本研究针对一款在线正念课程对感知压力的干预效果展开了探究。

研究设计：对一款在线正念课程开展初步评估。

研究对象：本研究样本共纳入100名自行报名该在线课程的受试者，受试者平均年龄为48岁，其中74%为女性。

干预措施：本次在线课程的模块取材自正念减压疗法（Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, MBSR）与正念认知疗法（Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, MBCT），课程总时长约为6周。

主要与次要结局指标：受试者分别在课程开始前、课程结束后以及1个月随访时完成感知压力量表（Perceived Stress Scale, PSS）；受试者每周需自行报告正式正念练习（如身体扫描、正念运动）与非正式正念活动（如正念用餐、专注力觉察）的完成情况。

研究结果：参与本次在线正念课程可显著降低受试者的感知压力水平，且该干预效应在1个月随访阶段仍保持稳定；课程前后的效应量与其他线下课堂式正念项目的效应量水平相当。此外，课程开始前感知压力量表得分更高的受试者，报告的正念练习参与度也显著更高，而这又与感知压力的降幅更大存在关联。

研究结论：鉴于仅通过有限时长的正念接触即可显著降低个体感知压力，在线正念疗法的可及性具备重要的实践应用价值。未来研究需评估线下面对面正念疗法已被证实有效的其他健康结局，如焦虑与抑郁症状。