Feasibility Testing a Meditation App for Professionals Working With Youth in the Legal System

August 4, 2026 updated by: Ashley D Kendall, University of Illinois at Chicago

Feasibility Trial of a Mindfulness-based mHealth Intervention to Mitigate the Effects of Chronic Workplace Stress Among Juvenile Justice Officers

This feasibility clinical trial aims to assess the feasibility of implementing a 1-month app-based meditation program with officers in the juvenile legal system and other professionals working directly with legal-involved youth.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Professionals working with legal-involved youth experience high levels of depression, anxiety, and workplace burnout. Mindfulness meditation targets emotion regulation-which appears to be a common mechanism underlying depression, anxiety, and burnout-and it can be effectively delivered via smartphone app. This project will assess the feasibility of implementing a 1-month app-based meditation program with officers and other professionals working with legal-involved youth. The findings are intended to inform the development of a future, fully-powered hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
57

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Ashley D Kendall, PhD
  • Phone Number: 312-355-1836
  • Email: akendall@uic.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
        • University of Illinois Chicago

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Currently working with youth in the juvenile legal system or related juvenile services and programming
  • English speaking
  • Able to understand and provide consent
  • At least 18 years old
  • Have an Android or Apple smartphone

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Action In Mindfulness (AIM)+
Participants randomized to the intervention arm will receive the AIM+ mindfulness meditation app.
Behavioral: Action In Mindfulness (AIM)+
AIM+ is a smartphone-based app that teaches mindfulness meditation to professionals working with legal-involved youth over a 30-day "path." Each day of the path consists of a brief (approximately 5- to 10-minute) audio-guided meditation practice, with brief videos interspersed to illustrate key concepts and promote engagement. In addition to the 30 daily path files, users have access to a menu of "to go" audio-guided meditation practices that they can use as relevant to their workday (e.g., for professionals to listen to before attending a meeting). AIM+ also includes a menu of audio-guided meditation practices that officers can share with the youth on their caseloads (e.g., for youth to listen to before attending court).
Active Comparator: Resource+
Participants randomized to the active control arm will receive the Resource+ smartphone-based program.
Behavioral: Resource+
Resource+ is a 30-day smartphone-based program that includes information on local and national resources that professionals can use to learn about organizations and services available to youth with whom they work.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
App adherence (binary)
Time Frame: 1 month
Percentage of participants who play at least one file on their study app after app setup at baseline
1 month
App adherence (continuous)
Time Frame: 1 month
Average number of daily app files played over the 1-month intervention period
1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Enrollment
Time Frame: Baseline
Number of participants enrolled
Baseline
Retention
Time Frame: 1 month, 6 months
Percentage of participants who attend (yes/no) each follow-up visit
1 month, 6 months
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)
Time Frame: 1 month
Four-item scale assessing perceived acceptability of the intervention. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale and averaged to produce a total score ranging from 1 to 5; with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.
1 month
Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM)
Time Frame: 1 month
Four-item scale assessing perceived appropriateness of the intervention. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale and averaged to produce a total score ranging from 1 to 5; with higher scores indicating greater appropriateness.
1 month
Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)
Time Frame: 1 month
Four-item scale assessing perceived feasibility of the intervention. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale and averaged to produce a total score ranging from 1 to 5; with higher scores indicating greater feasibility.
1 month
Randomization
Time Frame: Baseline
Percentage of participants randomized to each arm
Baseline
Percentage of Participants Who Complete Remote Questionnaire Batteries
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Percentage of participants who complete the entire health questionnaire battery at each assessment time point. This outcome captures the feasibility of remotely administering an in-depth battery probing sensitive behavioral health domains (e.g., mental health symptoms and substance use). Outcome values are binary (yes/no to completion of full battery).
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Time Frame: 1 month
Ten-item scale assessing perceived usability of the intervention. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale and scored to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater usability.
1 month
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8)
Time Frame: 1 month
Eight-item scale assessing participant satisfaction with the intervention. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale and summed to produce a total score ranging from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
1 month
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) completion
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month
Percentage of EMA reports made out of total EMA prompts sent at each week long EMA burst (i.e., measures of current positive and negative affect [International Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form (I-PANAS-SF)] and current attentional control).
Baseline, 1 month

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Anxiety
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the PROMIS Anxiety scale. This scale measures anxiety symptoms over the past week using a computer adaptive test/item bank administers of to 12 items, each rated on a 5-point scale; integrated adaptive scoring yields a T-score and standard error (SE); higher scores indicating more anxiety symptoms.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Depression
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the PROMIS Depression Scale. This scale measures depression symptoms over the past week using a computer adaptive test/item bank administers of to 12 items, each rated on a 5-point scale; integrated adaptive scoring yields a T-score and standard error (SE); higher scores indicating more depression symptoms.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Workplace burnout
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months

Measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory General (MBI-G). This measure contains three scales measuring emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.

  • The 9-item Emotional Exhaustion (EE) scale assesses feelings of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by one's work, with items rated on a 7-point scale; sum scores range from 0-54; higher scores indicate greater degrees of experienced burnout.
  • The 5-item Depersonalization (DP) scale measures an unfeeling and impersonal response toward recipients of one's service, care, treatment, or instruction, with items rated on a 7-point scale; sum scores range from 0-30; Higher scores correspond to greater degrees of experienced burnout.
  • The 8-item Personal Accomplishment (PA) scale assesses feelings of competence and successful achievement in one's work with people, with items rated on a 7-point scale; sum scores range from 0-48; lower scores correspond to greater degrees of experienced burnout.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Perceived stress
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the Perceived Stress Scale. This scale measures perception of stress over the past month, i.e. the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful, using 10-items each rated on a 5-point scale; total sum scores range from 0-40, with higher scores indicate more perceived stress.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Anger
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the PROMIS Short Form v1.1 Anger 5a scale. This scale measures anger over the past 7 days using 5 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; integrated scoring yields a T-score and standard error (SE), with higher scores indicating more anger.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Sleep disturbance
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the PROMIS Short Form v1.0 Sleep Disturbance. This scale measures sleep disturbance over the past 7 days using 8 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; integrated scoring yields a T-score and standard error (SE); higher scores indicate more sleep disturbance.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Alcohol use
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the PROMIS Short Form v1.0 Alcohol Use 7a. This scale measures alcohol consumption, cravings, or difficulty controlling drinking over the past 30 days using 7 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; integrated scoring yields a T-score and standard error (SE); higher scores indicate more alcohol consumption, cravings, or difficulty controlling drinking.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Mindfulness
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-15). This scale measures mindfulness with subscales for observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity using 15 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; total sum scores range from 15-75; higher scores indicate higher levels of mindfulness.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Regulation of negative mood states
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) Scale. This scale measures regulation of negative mood states using 14 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; averaged to yield total scale scores between 1 and 5; higher scores indicate a strong belief that one can alter negative moods.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Resilience
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the Brief Resilience Scale. This scale measures resilience, i.e. adaptation, thriving, and resistance to illness using 6 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; averaged to yield total scale scores between 1 and 5; higher scores indicate more resilience.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Attentional control
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Measured with the Attention Control Scale (ATTC). This scale measures two major components of attention (attention focusing and attention shifting) and consists of 20 items that are rated on a four-point Likert scale from 1 (almost never) to 4 (always); some items are reverse coded and scale scores are calculated as the sum of respective items; higher scores indicate greater attention control.
baseline, 1 month, 6 months
Current positive and negative mood states
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month
Measured with the International Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule Short Form (I-PANAS-SF). This scale measures positive and negative affect, with subscales for positive and negative affect, using 10 items, each item rated on a 5-point scale; sum scores range from 5 to 25; higher scores indicate greater tendency to experiences positive or negative mood, respectively.
baseline, 1 month
Current attentional control
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month
Measured using 2 items asking about trouble focusing and distraction in the past 3 hours, rated on a scale of 1 (never) to 6 (almost always); items are reverse-coded and averaged to form a composite representing momentary attentional control; higher scores indicate greater attentional control.
baseline, 1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Illinois at Chicago

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 21, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 24, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 12, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 12, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2023-0363

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data may be placed in one or more electronic databases which could be used for other research studies

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data sharing will generally coincide with publication of the study's main findings and is intended to take place within 1 year after acceptance of the primary manuscripts.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

To be determined

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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