Effect of the MindUP Program on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Pakistani Orphan Adolescents (MINDUP-PAK)

March 9, 2026 updated by: Atteen Rohail, Quaid-e-Azam University

Does MindUP Work With Pakistani Orphan Adolescents? Assessing Its Efficacy in Lowering Depression, Anxiety and Stress

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the MindUP mindfulness-based program in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress among orphan adolescents in Pakistan. Adolescents living in orphan care institutions often experience significant psychological distress due to early life adversity, loss of parental support, and institutional living conditions.

A school-based quasi-experimental design was used to examine whether participation in the MindUP program improves mental health outcomes among orphan adolescents. Participants were adolescents residing in orphanages in Pakistan who were assigned to either an intervention group receiving the MindUP program or a comparison group receiving routine institutional activities.

The MindUP intervention consisted of structured mindfulness and social-emotional learning sessions designed to enhance emotional regulation, attention, and psychological well-being. The program was delivered over several weeks by trained facilitators.

Psychological outcomes including depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using standardized self-report scales before and after the intervention. The study aims to determine whether the MindUP program is effective in improving mental health among orphan adolescents in low-resource institutional settings.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

61

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Islamabad
      • Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan, 44000
        • Aghosh Alkhidmat Foundation College Murree

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male adolescents aged 11-16 years.

Residing in an orphan care institution.

Currently enrolled in school (grades 7-8).

Able to understand and participate in the MindUP program sessions.

Provided assent to participate and permission obtained from the institutional authorities/guardians.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Adolescents currently receiving psychological or psychiatric treatment.

Adolescents with severe cognitive or developmental disorders that would interfere with participation in the intervention.

Adolescents who did not complete baseline assessments or were absent for most intervention sessions.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MindUP Intervention Group
Participants in this group received the MindUP mindfulness-based intervention program designed to improve emotional regulation, attention, and psychological well-being. The program consisted of structured sessions focusing on mindfulness practices, social-emotional learning, and awareness exercises delivered over several weeks.
Behavioral: MindUP Program
MindUP is a mindfulness-based social and emotional learning program that teaches participants skills related to mindful awareness, emotional regulation, attention, and stress management through structured exercises and activities.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in this group continued their routine institutional activities and did not receive the MindUP intervention during the study period. Psychological outcomes were assessed at the same time points as the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Depression Symptoms (DASS-21 Depression Subscale)
Time Frame: Baseline to Post-Intervention (15 weeks)
Depression symptoms were measured using the Depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Higher scores indicate greater levels of depressive symptoms. Changes from baseline to post-intervention were assessed to evaluate the effectiveness of the MindUP program.
Baseline to Post-Intervention (15 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Stress Levels (DASS-21 Stress Subscale)
Time Frame: Baseline to Post-Intervention (15 weeks)
Baseline to Post-Intervention (15 weeks)
Change in Anxiety Symptoms (DASS-21 Anxiety Subscale)
Time Frame: Baseline to Post-Intervention (15 weeks)
Baseline to Post-Intervention (15 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Quaid-e-Azam University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Rubina Hanif, PhD, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

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)

June 8, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 21, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

September 28, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 9, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NIP-MINDUP-2026

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

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.

Clinical Trials on Depression

Clinical Trials on MindUP Program

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Congo

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe