We are looking for individuals who experience anxiety along with muscle tension or tightness that is distressing and/or may interfere to some extent with your daily life. If you think this may apply to you, this study may be beneficial. This study provides individualized muscle relaxation therapy as well as brief mindfulness-based meditation-like training that you may find helpful:
- You must be 18 years or older to participate.
- First, you will complete an online screening questionnaire (3 minutes; see below for link). Of course, you may skip any questions that you would prefer not to answer; however, unanswered questions may affect our ability to determine eligibility.
- If you meet certain criteria, you will then be asked to come to the Psychological Sciences Building to complete an interview and several questionnaires related to muscle discomfort as well as anxiety symptoms and related experiences (75-90 minutes).
- Next, you will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. After one week, Group A will begin the muscle relaxation therapy while group B will begin the mindfulness-based meditation training. Group C will be asked to wait four weeks before beginning treatment. After approximately four weeks, groups A and B will switch to the other intervention and those in group C will be given their choice of receiving either muscle relaxation therapy or mindfulness-based meditation training.
- Both treatments consist of three individual sessions, each separated by about one week. During the first session for each treatment you will learn how the treatments work and be guided in using a 7-8 minute exercise. In the following sessions we will practice using a shortened 3-4 minute exercise and discuss applying the techniques learned to specific anxiety or tension provoking situations in your life.
- After attending the initial assessment session, you will be sent a link and be asked to use it to access and complete an individualized questionnaire once a day, for the duration of the study (approximately 49 days). Ongoing completion of the daily questionnaire is required for continued participation in the study.
- The treatment is free of charge. Our only expectation is that you complete the daily questionnaire each day (3-5 minutes), the mid-treatment and post-treatment standardized measures (that take about 35-45 minutes), and do the between-sessions work (at-home practice).
- At-home practice will take approximately 3-8 minutes a day, in addition to the daily questionnaire.
- If you complete 25 of the 28 daily questionnaires by mid-treatment, you will be entered into a drawing with others in your group to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card. Approximate odds of winning; Group A (1 out of 20), Group B (1 out of 20), Group C (1 out of 10). If you complete 45 of the 49 daily questionnaires by post-treatment, you will be entered into a second drawing with others in your group to win a $30 Amazon Gift Card. Approximate odds of winning; Group A (1 out of 20), Group B (1 out of 20), Group C (1 out of 10).
- Approximately four weeks after completing the initial questionnaires, you will be asked to return to the lab to complete another set of questionnaires. Group C will then begin treatment.
- You will be asked to complete a final set of questionnaires approximately seven weeks after the initial questionnaires.
- Finally, you will be contacted for an optional follow-up assessment one and three months after you have completed the active treatment.
By clicking the link below, I am acknowledging that I am 18 years or older and am consenting to participate in this brief screening questionnaire for this study:
https://ttupsych.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6R0l1NKPNJL6zEF
This study (#505181) has been approved by the Human Research Protection Program at Texas Tech University.
Any questions may be directed to Andrew at Andrew.marshall@ttu.edu
