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Mindfulness

Gepubliceerd in:

04-05-2023 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Mindfulness Meditation App Abandonment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Auteurs: Mariah Sullivan, Jennifer Huberty, Yunro Chung, Chad Stecher

Gepubliceerd in: Mindfulness | Uitgave 6/2023

Abstract

Objectives

Mindfulness meditation apps are used by millions of adults in the USA to improve mental health. However, many new app subscribers quickly abandon their use. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioral, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with the abandonment of meditation apps during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

A survey was distributed to subscribers of a popular meditation app, Calm, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 that assessed meditation app behavior and meditation habit strength, as well as demographic and socioeconomic information. App usage data were also collected from the start of each participant’s subscription until May 2021. A total of 3275 respondents were included in the analyses. Participants were divided into three cohorts according to their subscription start date: (1) long-term subscribers (> 1 year before pandemic start), (2) pre-pandemic subscribers (< 4 months before pandemic start), and (3) pandemic subscribers (joined during the pandemic).

Results

Meditating after an existing routine was associated with a lower risk of app abandonment for pre-pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio = 0.607, 95% CI: 0.422, 0.874; p = 0.007) and for pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio = 0.434, 95% CI: 0.285, 0.66; p < 0.001). Additionally, meditating “whenever I can” was associated with lower risk of abandonment among pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio = 0.437, 95% CI: 0.271, 0.706; p < 0.001), and no behavioral factors were significant predictors of app abandonment among the long-term subscribers.

Conclusions

These results show that combining meditation with an existing daily routine was a commonly utilized strategy for promoting persistent meditation app use during the COVID-19 pandemic for many subscribers. This finding supports existing evidence that pairing new behaviors with an existing routine is an effective method for establishing new health habits.

Preregistration

This study is not pre-registered.

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Titel: Mindfulness Meditation App Abandonment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study
Auteurs: Mariah Sullivan
Jennifer Huberty
Yunro Chung
Chad Stecher
Publicatiedatum: 04-05-2023
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Mindfulness / Uitgave 6/2023
Print ISSN: 1868-8527
Elektronisch ISSN: 1868-8535
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02125-4

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Abstract

Objectives

Method

Results

Conclusions

Preregistration

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