A randomized controlled trial in Germany assigned 50 university students to a 7-week mindfulness intervention delivered either by live videoconference or by unguided podcasts. The videoconference group showed a larger reduction in depression than the podcast group. Both groups experienced significant increases in mindfulness and, for those analyzed as originally assigned, life satisfaction. More frequent home practice was linked to better outcomes only in the videoconference group. The findings suggest that live videoconference mindfulness training can effectively reduce depressive symptoms, while both formats improve mindfulness and life satisfaction.
A combined mindfulness intervention (face-to-face sessions plus the 7Mind app) was compared to single interventions (face-to-face only or app only) and an active control group among 177 university students over 12 months. At post-intervention and at 4- and 12-month follow-ups, the combined intervention did not produce better outcomes than the single interventions or the active control on mindfulness, mental health, emotion regulation, or attentional abilities. No statistically significant differences were found between any intervention group and the active control. All groups, including the active control, improved in mindfulness, body awareness, emotion regulation, stress, and attentional abilities over time. Higher app usage was linked to increased body awareness but also to higher stress, suggesting that greater reliance on a mindfulness app may negatively affect stress.