HeartMath Resilience Program for Stress

Overseen By Joseph Schwartz, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Florida State University

Disqualifiers: Not meeting inclusion criteria

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 12 months

300 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

The study is a multiple cohort, staggered-entry, waitlist randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive resiliency-based program in reducing stress for correctional officers employed by the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, FL.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

How does the HeartMath Resilience Program treatment differ from other stress treatments?

The HeartMath Resilience Program is unique because it focuses on increasing coherence (harmony and alignment) within individuals and communities, using scientifically researched techniques to reduce stress. Unlike other treatments that may focus solely on individual stress management, this program aims to improve overall community well-being and coherence, integrating various healing traditions and promoting interconnectedness. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

What data supports the effectiveness of the HeartMath Resilience Program treatment for stress?

Research shows that stress reduction and mindfulness programs can improve mental health and quality of life in heart patients. Similar programs have been linked to better exercise capacity, lower blood pressure, and reduced depression, suggesting potential benefits for stress management. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Tanya Renn, PhD

Principal Investigator

Florida State University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for correctional officers at the Leon County Sheriff's Office who are 18 or older, can consent, speak English, and will attend a defensive tactics training. It's not open to those who don't meet these requirements.

Inclusion Criteria

I am mentally capable and willing to consent to treatment.

Leon County Sheriff's Office jail correctional officers

Attending a defensive tactics training by Leon County Sheriff's Office

Exclusion Criteria

Not meeting Inclusion Criteria

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive the HeartMath Resilience Program alongside their regularly scheduled defensive tactics training

12 months

Regular sessions integrated with training

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in stress levels, job satisfaction, workplace safety, and other psychological and occupational measures

12 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Heart Math Resilience Program

Trial Overview The HeartMath Resilience Program is being tested to see if it helps reduce stress in participants. The study design involves multiple groups starting at different times with some waiting before they begin the program (staggered-entry, waitlist randomized controlled trial).

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: HeartMath Resilience Program Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will receive programming alongside their regularly scheduled defensive tactics training.

Group II: Waitlist Control, No Intervention Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants in the waitlist control group will receive their regularly scheduled training programs

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Florida State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

234

Recruited

41,100+

Leon County Sheriff's Office

Collaborator

Published Research Related to This Trial

A 12-month follow-up study involving 324 patients with heart disease showed that online mindfulness training led to a small but significant improvement in exercise capacity, with participants walking an average of 17.9 meters further in a 6-minute test compared to usual care.

Mindfulness training also resulted in favorable long-term effects on systolic blood pressure, mental functioning, and depressive symptoms, suggesting it could be a beneficial addition to standard clinical care for heart disease patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Online mindfulness as a promising method to improve exercise capacity in heart disease: 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. Gotink, RA., Younge, JO., Wery, MF., et al.[2019]

A Stress Reduction, Meditation, and Mindfulness Program significantly reduced perceived stress in heart failure patients, with scores dropping from 22.8 to 14.3 in the intervention group compared to an increase in the control group (p<0.001).

The program also led to notable improvements in quality of life, mindfulness, sleep quality, and physical performance (measured by a 6-minute walk test), highlighting its efficacy in enhancing overall well-being in patients with chronic heart failure.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of a Stress Reduction, Meditation, and Mindfulness Program in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cavalcante, VN., Mesquita, ET., Cavalcanti, ACD., et al.[2023]

The SMART program, designed to enhance resilience in physicians, did not show statistically significant improvements in resilience, happiness, stress, or anxiety at 3 and 6 months, based on a study of 40 academic physicians.

Despite the lack of statistical significance, the intervention group reported clinically relevant improvements in resilience, stress, and anxiety, suggesting potential benefits that warrant further investigation in larger trials.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The impact of Stress Management and Resailience Training (SMART) on academic physicians during the implementation of a new Health Information System: An exploratory randomized controlled trial. Spilg, EG., Kuk, H., Ananny, L., et al.[2022]

Citations

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychological and quality-of-life outcomes from a comprehensive stress reduction and lifestyle program in patients with coronary artery disease: results of a randomized trial. [2009]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Online mindfulness as a promising method to improve exercise capacity in heart disease: 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. [2019]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychological treatment of cardiac patients: a meta-analysis. [2016]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of Positive Psychology Interventions on Risk Biomarkers in Coronary Patients: A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Pilot Trial. [2018]

5. Brazil pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of a Stress Reduction, Meditation, and Mindfulness Program in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial. [2023]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Heart of Grinnell: A Community-Wide Rural Health Wellness Initiative: a pilot observational study and a prospective study design. [2010]

7. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cardiac stress reactions and perseverance: Diminished reactivity is associated with study non-completion. [2018]

8. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

HeartMath as an Integrative, Personal, Social, and Global Healthcare System. [2022]

9. Germany pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Speaking from the heart: cardiovascular components of stress rating changes and the relative reactivity of physiological and psychological variables. [2019]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The impact of Stress Management and Resailience Training (SMART) on academic physicians during the implementation of a new Health Information System: An exploratory randomized controlled trial. [2022]