JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Meditation apps are increasingly popular but face significant engagement challenges. Most research does not meaningfully capture real-world engagement or associated user characteristics. Engagement patterns and reasons for engaging or disengaging remain relatively unexplored.

Objective:

Examine Medito app user engagement over the first 30 days after download and how intended use, demographics, user traits, and mental health factors predict engagement.

Methods:

A prospective online survey was conducted among 668 Medito app users from 30 countries. Factors assessed included demographic factors (age, sex, education, employment, country of residence), user factors (number of apps tried, hours of experience, meditation-related adverse events, expectations, readiness to change and personality), and mental health factors (quality of life, perceived stress, psychological distress, wellbeing and satisfaction with life). Detailed engagement data included days of use, meditations completed, app opens, and minutes of use obtained via a data-sharing agreement with Medito. Minutes of use in the first 30 days after download served as the main outcome variable.

Results:

App use was relatively low, with 50% of users engaging for a total of 16 minutes or less in the first month after download (Median = 16.11 minutes, Interquartile Range = 0–74.51). Fewer than 20% of users (18.86%) continued using the app beyond 14 days. Intended use (M = 418.56, SD = 472.5) significantly exceeded actual use (M = 70.02, SD = 176.81), p < .001, d = 0.710. In terms of user factors, expectation match (ρ=0.212), expectations for anxiety (ρ=0.102), expectations for attention/focus (ρ=.0.091) and conscientiousness (ρ=0.125) were associated with higher engagement (all P < .05). Neuroticism was negatively associated with engagement (ρ=-0.102, P < .05). For mental health factors, satisfaction with life (ρ=0.123) and wellbeing (ρ=0.135) were associated with higher engagement, while perceived stress (ρ=-0.107) psychological distress (ρ=-0.138), and quality of life (ρ=-0.100) were associated with lower engagement (all P < .05). Only readiness to change showed unique associations with higher engagement (semi-partial r = 0.156, P < .001). Regression showed that only perceived stress predicted higher engagement (β = 0.020, P = 0.043). However, expectations for anxiety (β = 0.015, P = 0.049) and readiness to change (β = 0.011, P = 0.048) predicted greater engagement, and mental ill-health predicted lower engagement (β = -0.008, P = 0.049) when mental health was included as a single component.

Conclusions:

Overall, app engagement is generally quite low. Acute stress motivated meditation app use, while chronic stress disrupted it. Engagement is optimal when experiences match expectations and users are prepared to make a change. More transparency is necessary in the promotion of meditation apps such that users have a realistic understanding of the time and effort required to achieve benefits. Clinical Trial: https://osf.io/5njyu