Mindfulness Training in Special Operations Forces (SOF) Candidates
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- University of Miami
- Enrollment
- 245
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Attentional Performance
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The overarching goal of this study is to develop, deliver, and investigate the utility and feasibility of train-the-trainer delivery of mindfulness training (MT) in support of improved readiness (across cognitive, affective, and social domains of the human dimension) and improve retention of candidates in the SOF qualification pipeline at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (referred to as SWCS).
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Supportive Care
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 65 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Individuals who are between 18 and 65 years of age.
- •Individuals who are fluent English speakers.
- •Individuals who are active-duty service members.
- •Men and women of all races and ethnicities.
- •Individuals who are willing and able to consent to participate in the study.
- •Individuals who are attending Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS).
Exclusion Criteria
- •Individuals who have a medical or neurological condition that might interfere with performance on the task in the study (e.g., epilepsy)
- •Individuals with a history of hospitalization for psychological/mental health issues within the last 6 months.
Arms & Interventions
Mindfulness training (MT) group
Receives 4 weeks of mindfulness training followed by a testing session.
Intervention: MBAT course (Behavioral)
No-training control (NTC) group
Receives 4 weeks of no mindfulness training followed by a testing session.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Attentional Performance
Time Frame: Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)
Attentional Performance as measured by the Sustained Attention Response Task (SART). SART has a range of scores from 0 to 1 with a higher score indicating better accuracy of completing the task.
Change in Working Memory Performance
Time Frame: Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)
Working Memory Performance as measured by the Working Memory Task with Affective Distracters (WMDA). WMDA has a range of scores from 0 to 100%, with higher scores indicating better accuracy on the task.
Change in Cognitive Failures
Time Frame: Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)
Cognitive Failures will be measured by the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). CFQ has total score ranging from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating more cognitive failures.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in Positive Affect(Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval))
- Change in Psychological Health(Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval))
- Change in Mind Wandering(Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval))
- Change in Negative Affect(Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval))
- Change in Perceived Stress(Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval))
- Change in Decentering(Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval))
Investigators
Amishi Jha
Professor
University of Miami