Take a breath: the safety of a “mindful breathing” mobile application on acute anxiety in teenagers and young adults

This study explores whether the ""mindful breathing"" mobile application Take a Breath is safe for use during episodes of acute anxiety in teenagers and young adults. Similar applications have been developed and used in the treatment of post‐traumatic stress disorder in military service members. Commercially‐developed alternatives have not been assessed scientifically. No application of this type is designed specifically for the needs of teenagers and young adults with anxiety. Eligible participants will be asked to use ""Take a Breath,"" a mobile application available on smartphones running iOS, over a 2‐week period. The user can interactively track their breathing by dragging on the screen. The study population is teenagers and young adults aged 18 to 24, half of whom self‐identify as anxious and half of whom do not. Volunteers with signs of extremely severe anxiety will not be eligible for participation. We are collecting anxiety inventory responses and usage analytics over the internet during the test period (facilitated by the application). We will also conduct exit interviews with selected participants either on campus or via an online video chat service. The quantitative data collected via the application and qualitative data collected via exit interviews will be analyzed to determine whether the intervention is safe. The application will be characterized as 'safe' if it does not result in an increase in anxiety.

本研究旨在探究正念呼吸类移动应用‘Take a Breath’在青少年及年轻成年人急性焦虑发作期间使用的安全性。目前已有同类应用被开发并用于军人创伤后应激障碍的治疗，但市面上的商业替代应用尚未经过科学评估，且尚无此类应用专为焦虑青少年及年轻成年人的需求设计。符合入组标准的受试者将在为期2周的试验周期内，使用适配iOS系统智能手机的移动应用‘Take a Breath’。用户可通过在屏幕上拖拽的方式交互式追踪自身呼吸状态。本研究的受试人群为18至24岁的青少年与年轻成年人，其中半数自我报告存在焦虑症状，半数无相关症状；存在极重度焦虑迹象的志愿者将无法入组。试验期间，我们将通过该应用协助在线收集受试者的焦虑量表作答数据与使用行为分析数据。此外，我们还将针对部分入选受试者开展离场访谈，访谈可在校内进行，或通过在线视频聊天服务完成。研究人员将对应用程序采集的定量数据及离场访谈获取的定性数据进行分析，以判定该干预手段的安全性。若该应用未导致受试者焦虑水平升高，则将其判定为"安全"。