Abstract

This study developed a smartphone-based Meditation·Mindfulness·Positive Psychology Training (MMPT) program and assessed its effects on adults with moderate depressive symptoms who were not receiving treatment. Participants with PHQ-9 scores ranging from 10 to 19 were randomly assigned to either the MMPT app group (n=58) or a waitlist control group (n=50). The assessment included mindfulness, self-compassion, cognitive emotion regulation, depression, life satisfaction, and life satisfaction expectancy at pretest, midtest, posttest, and a 4-week follow-up. The final analyses included 41 participants in each group. Significant group×time interaction effects were observed for all variables, with medium to large effect sizes. Within the intervention group, most variables demonstrated significant changes over time, and no significant differences were found between posttest and follow-up for mindfulness, self-compassion, and depression. Repeated-measures mediation analyses indicated that changes in mindfulness and self-compassion were linked to changes in depression and life satisfaction expectancy, while changes in self-compassion were associated with changes in life satisfaction. These findings suggest that the MMPT app may effectively improve depressive symptoms and enhance subjective well-being.