Mindfulness app trial reports lower stress among working women
Women assigned to a smartphone mindfulness program reported improvements in several psychological measures compared with a waitlist, while evidence for work and family outcomes remained less clear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The app program improved self-reported stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, anger reactions and life satisfaction compared with the waitlist in the adjusted analysis. These findings concern psychological questionnaire outcomes over the program period. The abstract does not provide comparable evidence of improvement in job performance, family satisfaction or conflict between work and family.
The comparator was a waitlist, so the trial did not compare mindfulness with another active program. The abstract gives no longer-term results and does not report the size of effects on work or family outcomes.
What researchers found
Self-reported stress after 8 weeks
Mindfulness app versus waitlist; analysis adjusted for preintervention scores found a statistically significant difference.
What the program tested
Participants used guided mindfulness meditations on their phones each day at a convenient time. The comparison group continued usual life while waiting, and both groups were assessed through online questionnaires.
Outcomes beyond stress
The study also asked about work, family and work-to-family conflict. The authors suggested that stronger interventions might be needed for these areas, but this trial did not test a more intensive program.
The original publication
Effects of an 8-Week App-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Mental Health in Working Women: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Uwagawa R, Adachi K, Shimoda M et al.
J Med Internet Res · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41627885
- Record checked
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