UC Irvine | StressFreeUC

Reduce Stress.

Improve your health & the UCI Community.

What is the Stress Free UCI Study?

The Stress Free UCI study is a research program focused on workplace stress in employees across University of California, Irvine campus.

By participating in the study, you will help the UCI community learn whether Headspace™, a meditation application for your computer and smartphone, can improve your health and well-being.

What is the goal of the study?

The goal of this study is to better understand how stress affects the health and well-being of UCI staff and to test a digital meditation intervention called Headspace™.

Who is conducting the study?

This is a research study led by Dr. Sarah Pressman, PhD, John Hunter, MA and Meryl Olah, BA in the UCI Department of Psychological Sciences.

How is my information kept safe?

As researchers, we understand information about your life is personal. It’s our priority to keep the information you share for this study private. All information about you will be deidentified, meaning it’s kept separate from your name, phone number, or email, and no one outside of our study staff will have access to your records, including your employer.

What does it mean to join?

See below or click here to see the study timeline!
You will be asked complete online questionnaires about your health, lifestyle, and feelings. This will take between 5-20 minutes each time and will happen at:
- The beginning of the study
- +4-weeks
- +8-weeks
- +4-months
- +12-months

If you enroll, you will also be randomly selected into one of two groups:

MEDITATION GROUP
If you're in this group, you will use a meditation program called Headspace™, available on your computer or smartphone, for 10 minutes each day for 8 weeks.

WAITLIST CONTROL

If you're in this group, you will continue life as you normally do, without the Headspace™ meditation application. After 4 months, you will be given a one-year subscription to the Headspace™ application, too!