The uptake and outcomes of an online self-help mindfulness programme during COVID-19

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative mental health impacts. Online psychological interventions can facilitate rapid access to mental health resources. This study examined the outcomes of a 4-lesson, self-help online mindfulness course during the early months of the pandemic in Australia. Methods 5058 adults commenced the Introduction to Mindfulness course and completed measures of psychological distress (Kessler-10) and wellbeing (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). 3696 individuals commenced their course between 2016 and 2019 ("pre-COVID" group), while 1362 started their course between 12 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 ("during-COVID" group). Results Participants in the during-COVID-pandemic group reported slightly lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of wellbeing compared to the pre-COVID group. In both groups, the mindfulness course was associated with medium effect size reductions in psychological distress (g = .49-.55) and small effect size improvements in wellbeing (g = .27-.41). Conclusions The mindfulness course was associated with reduced psychological distress before and during the pandemic. Results underscore the generalisability of online mindfulness interventions to pandemic situations. What is already known about this topic: The mental health impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have been substantial. Mental health service provision has adapted to meet community health needs in the wake of the pandemic. It is unclear if the effectiveness of online mental health interventions will generalise to pandemic conditions. What this paper adds: The outcomes of an online mindfulness course were explored. The course was associated with improved psychological distress and wellbeing both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Results highlight the utility of digital mental health services during COVID-19.