JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health problems among workers are a significant global concern, leading to substantial economic losses, particularly due to presenteeism. While mindfulness and self-compassion practices have shown promise in improving psychological well-being and occupational outcomes, traditional interventions often require a high time commitment. Low-intensity digital interventions remain underexplored, especially in the context of occupational health.

Objective:

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone-based self-care application that enables independent practice of mindfulness and self-compassion without facilitator support. Specifically, it assessed the effects of self-compassion meditation (SCM) and mindfulness meditation (MM) on mental health and work-related outcomes among non-clinical Japanese workers.

Methods:

This open-label, three-arm randomized controlled trial recruited 300 working adults in Japan, who were randomly assigned to SCM (n = 101), MM (n = 100), or a waitlist control group (n = 99). Participants in the SCM and MM groups engaged in daily guided meditation via a custom-built smartphone application over 4-weeks. Primary outcomes included psychological distress (measured by K6) and work performance (measured by WHO-HPQ and the Stanford Presenteeism Scale). Secondary outcomes included cognitive flexibility, self-compassion (SCS), perceived stress (PSS-14), work engagement (UWES), psychological safety, and self-perceived creativity. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention (28 days), and 1-month follow-up. Statistical analyses involved repeated-measures ANOVAs and paired t-tests.

Results:

A total of 300 participants (mean age = 35.44, SD = 9.14; 60% female) were randomized, with high adherence observed in both intervention groups (SCM: M = 23.30 days; MM: M = 22.95 days). Within-group analyses revealed that SCM significantly improved work performance, cognitive flexibility, self-compassion (particularly common humanity), and psychological safety, while reducing perceived stress, work inefficiency, self-judgment, and over-identification (all p < .05). In contrast, the MM group showed improvement only in common humanity. Follow-up analyses confirmed the maintenance of several effects in the SCM group, including self-compassion and stress reduction. Although no significant group × time interactions were detected, main effects of time were found for several outcomes (e.g., work performance: F(2,268) = 3.80, p = .02, η²G = .009; self-compassion: F(2,216) = 10.44, p < .001, η²G = .010).

Conclusions:

A low-intensity, fully self-guided self-compassion meditation program delivered via smartphone significantly improved various psychological and occupational outcomes among non-clinical working adults. While the between-group effects were limited, the SCM intervention demonstrated greater and more sustained benefits than MM and control conditions. These findings support the feasibility and potential utility of scalable digital self-care tools for promoting mental health and productivity in occupational settings. Future studies should explore strategies to enhance efficacy while preserving accessibility. Clinical Trial: University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000049466.