Storytelling and Mindfulness for Graduate Student Wellbeing

Conditions studied

Depression, Anxiety, Burnout, Student

About this study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an intervention for improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) graduate student wellbeing. Participants will be recruited from the University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student body. Data will be collected from participants for up to 2 years, and the investigators anticipate that the study will last for 4 years.

Interventions

• Behavioral: Mindfulness Practice — Participants follow guided meditations in the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) mobile phone app for at least 15 min per day, for a total of 14 days.
• Behavioral: Storytelling Workshop — Participants attend 1 (120 min) workshops, teaching them creative writing tools and giving them opportunities to apply those tools.

Primary outcomes

• Change from Baseline in Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in Perceived stress scale at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in WHO-5 Well-being Index at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in PROMIS Depression Questionnaire at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in PROMIS Anxiety Questionnaire at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Questionnaire at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in PROMIS Global Health Questionnaire at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)
• Change from Baseline in Vanderweele Flourishing Measure at 4 weeks (Baseline and 4 weeks)

Eligibility information

Study locations

• Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Madison, Wisconsin 53715 United States