Mindfulness Training in Special Operations Forces (SOF) Candidates

NCT04703296 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 20201488W81XWH20C0065
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 245
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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).

Conditions

Cognitive Change

Keywords

Stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Attentional Performance

  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.

  Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)

• Change in Working Memory Performance

  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.

  Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)

• Change in Cognitive Failures

  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.

  Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Change in Positive Affect

  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 Psychological Health

  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)

Other Outcomes (3)

• Change in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology

  Baseline to week 6 and week 11.

• Change in Perspective Taking

  Baseline (week 1) to week 6 (after 4-week training interval)

• Applied Mindfulness Process Scale

  post training at at week 6

Study Arms (2)

Mindfulness training (MT) group

EXPERIMENTAL

Receives 4 weeks of mindfulness training followed by a testing session.

Behavioral: MBAT course

No-training control (NTC) group

NO INTERVENTION

Receives 4 weeks of no mindfulness training followed by a testing session.

Interventions

MBAT course BEHAVIORAL

The MBAT will involve: (i) 4 weekly 1.5-hour course sessions. The sessions will provide guided exercises, didactic information, and discussions to promote greater mindfulness. (ii) Daily mindfulness practice that will be facilitated by the Measuring Mindfulness App (MMA) and/or instructor-delivered mindfulness practices. The daily mindfulness practice will require about 15 minutes to complete.

Mindfulness training (MT) group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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).

You may not qualify if:

• 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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Miami: lead
• United States Department of Defense: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Miami

Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Amishi Jha

  University of Miami

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2021
• First Posted: January 11, 2021
• Study Start: March 16, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 7, 2022
• Study Completion: January 9, 2023
• Last Updated: January 12, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)