Mindfulness Training for Senior Leaders

Mindfulness Training for U.S. Army Senior Leaders

The overarching goal of the project is to investigate if a mindfulness-based attention training (MBAT) program contextualized for Military Senior Leaders (SLs) might benefit SLs in three key domains: (1) cognitive abilities, (2) psychological well-being and self-reported physical health, and (3) strategic leadership skills and ability. The MBAT-SL program will be tested by the training cohorts and compared to the wait-list control cohorts who will receive the training after a no-training interval.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Cognitive Change
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT) web-course

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 91
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Florida
    • Coral Gables, Florida, United States, 33146
      • University of Miami

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Individuals who are between 18 and 65 years of age.
2. Individuals who are fluent English speakers.
3. Individuals who are active-duty service members
4. Individuals who are willing and able to consent to participate in the study.
5. Individuals who participated in the courses provided by the Army War College (AWC).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Individuals who have been hospitalized for psychological/mental health issues within the last month

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A (MT group); Participants will receive 4 weeks of mindfulness training during the first training interval between the first (T1) and second (T2) assessment sessions.	Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT) web-course; Pre-recorded weekly sessions for 4 weeks. Each session will consist of approximately 2 hours of video content per week and weekly mindfulness exercises. This video will include MBAT program lectures, pre-recorded testimony from military leaders, and teaching materials. The course will also include 15-min daily mindfulness practice drills.
Active Comparator: Group B (Wait-list group); Participants will not receive 4 weeks of mindfulness training during the first training interval; they will receive 4 weeks of mindfulness training during the second training interval between the second (T2) and third (T3) assessment sessions.	Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT) web-course; Pre-recorded weekly sessions for 4 weeks. Each session will consist of approximately 2 hours of video content per week and weekly mindfulness exercises. This video will include MBAT program lectures, pre-recorded testimony from military leaders, and teaching materials. The course will also include 15-min daily mindfulness practice drills.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Sustained attention to response task (SART) score	The SART involves pressing a button to frequently presented non-target trials (numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) and withholding the button press to the infrequent target trials (number 3). The participants can have a total score between 0 and 100% with a higher score indicating better sustained attention.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in 5FMQ scores	Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (5FMQ) is used to assess the five major aspects of mindfulness. The present study will use the 15-item short version. The scores range from 15 to 75, with higher scores indicating greater levels of mindfulness in different aspects of one's life.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in Decentering score	Decentering consists of 11 items measuring various thoughts and experiences, and the tendency to distance from those. The decentering score ranges from 1 to 55, with a higher score indicating a high level of decentering.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in PANAS positive affect score	Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) is a widely used self-reported measure of positive and negative affect. The present study will use a short version with a 5-item positive subscale. The score ranges from 5 to 25 with a higher score indicating a higher positive mood.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in PANAS negative affect score	Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) is a widely used self-reported measure of positive and negative affect. The present study will use a short version with a 5-item negative subscale. The score ranges from 5 to 25 with a higher score indicating a higher negative mood.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in PSS score	Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a questionnaire measuring the degree to which situations in one's life are viewed as stressful within the past month. The present study will use the 4-item short version, with the total score ranging from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating a higher level of perceived stress.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in PHQ4 scores	Patient Health Questionnaire 4 items (PHQ4) is an ultra-brief 4-item measure of depression and anxiety in the general population with the total score ranging from 0 to 12. Higher score indicates higher level of anxiety and depression.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Applied Mindfulness Practice	The Applied Mindfulness Process Scale (AMPS) measures one's daily enactment of mindfulness in daily life. Total score ranges from 0 to 60: a higher score indicates a greater application of mindfulness in everyday life.	Post-4-week training interval 1 (T2) and post-4-week training interval 2 (T3).
Change in Leadership Questionnaire	Leadership Questionnaire consists of a set of questions that gather information about the self-reported leadership skills and attitudes of Senior Army leaders.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in Anger score	Dimensions of Anger Reactions (DAR-5) is a self-report measure of anger frequency, intensity, duration, aggression, and impact on social functioning over the past 4 weeks. The scale includes 4 items with a score range of 5-25. Higher scores indicate greater anger levels.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).
Change in Marital Satisfaction	Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSAT) measures one's satisfaction in their current relationship. The scale includes 4 items with a score range of 3-21. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with a current relationship.	Baseline (T1) to post-4-week training interval (T2).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Miami
• Collaborators: United States Department of Defense
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Amishi Jha, University of Miami

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 10, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 20, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): April 20, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 30, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 30, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): October 6, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 28, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 26, 2024
• Last Verified: June 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: mindfulness training; psychological health
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20201075; W911QY-17-C-0101 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Department of Defense)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No