Couples' Affect in Relationships Study

Purpose

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out whether learning about well-being impacts the thoughts and feelings of romantic couples. The main question it aims to answer is: - Does gaining knowledge about well-being positively impact individuals and their romantic relationships? Participants will complete online surveys about their thoughts and feelings.

Condition

  • Depression Disorders

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years - Be either married, living together, OR in a dating relationship for at least 12 months - Proficiency in English - US citizen or permanent resident - If non-monogamous, must be able to enroll in the study with a primary partner with whom they spend the majority of their time. - Use of a smartphone (primary participant only) - Phone able to receive SMS text messages - Depression symptoms (≥ 5 on PHQ-9; primary participant only)

Exclusion Criteria

  • Severe physical or sexual relationship aggression during the past 6 months (any item endorsement on 5-item severe IPV screener) - Endorsement of active suicidality - History of psychosis or mania - Prior use of the Healthy Minds Program app - Prior significant experience with meditation - Severe hearing impairment that would interfere with the use of an audio-based intervention (primary participant only)

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
The Healthy Minds Program (HMP) mobile application 		Primary participants in the HMP group will be instructed to complete a 4-week intervention through the app.
  • Device: well-being app
    The HMP app is a meditation-based smartphone app designed to promote and protect psychological well-being through sustainable skills training. The program is grounded in constituents of psychological well-being identified in empirical literature. HMP provides core content, with instruction administered through a curriculum of guided practices. HMP has guided audio practices that address 4 constituents of well-being: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose.
Experimental
List of well-being resources 		Primary participants will be instructed to use a curated list of well-being resources.
  • Behavioral: List of well-being resources
    Participants will be given a list of resources that promote well-being.
No Intervention
Partner - Surveys only 		Partner participants will complete surveys their thoughts and feelings.

Recruiting Locations

University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin 53705
Contact:
Lily Smith
cares@chm.wisc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Study Contact

Lily Smith
cares@chm.wisc.edu

Detailed Description

This study will deliver a meditation-based mobile intervention (The Healthy Minds Program) to one member of a long-term romantic couple and will assess for relationship satisfaction/distress, well-being, and mindfulness in both the primary participant and their partner. The control group will receive a list of well-being-based psychoeducation resources.