An interventional study of MIED-based Adolescent Mindfulness Intervention Group in Emotional Distress, sponsored by Xinghua Liu. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 12 Years to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-12.
Sponsored by Xinghua Liu · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Background: Emotional distress (anxiety and depressive symptoms) among adolescents is rising globally. In China, the detection rate of depression risk among secondary school students is 24.6%, and that of anxiety risk is 18.1%; comorbidity, relapse and disability rates are all high, seriously affecting adolescents' academic performance, social relationships and quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown substantial effects in children and adolescents, with meta-analyses reporting a moderate effect size for internalizing problems (Hedges' g = 0.47). Group-based mindfulness interventions for adolescents are feasible: the group format improves efficiency, reduces costs and provides social support. However, existing research remains limited in cultural adaptation and in the systematicity of intervention protocols. The MIED (Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress) system, developed by Professor Liu Xinghua on the basis of MBSR and the Unified Protocol (UP), centres on the "diamond model" of emotional distress, which identifies four core maintaining mechanisms: engagement in life, tolerance of distress, emotional behaviours, and cognitive flexibility. Adult studies of MIED show significant improvement in emotional distress, yet no dedicated study has applied it to adolescents.
Methods: This is an exploratory feasibility study using a single-group pre-post design. It plans to recruit 26 adolescents aged 12-18 years with emotional distress for an 8-week online MIED group intervention for adolescents (two online groups, 12-13 participants per group, with an expected effective sample of 20-24). Data will be collected at multiple time points: baseline, after the 4th session, after the 8th session, and at 1-month follow-up.
Objectives: The primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility of the MIED-based adolescent mindfulness group intervention (recruitment feasibility, retention feasibility, implementation feasibility, acceptability, and safety). The secondary objective is to preliminarily evaluate the intervention's effects on anxiety, depression, stress and other outcomes, and to estimate effect sizes, thereby providing methodological preparation for a subsequent large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Xinghua Liu is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
PHQ-9 total score 10-19 or GAD-7 total score 10-14 (either criterion is sufficient, indicating mild to moderate depressive or anxiety symptoms).
from both the participant and their parent/legal guardian
Exclusion Criteria:
PHQ-9 item 9 score ≥2 and clinical interview confirming active suicidal ideation or plan.
Presence of psychotic symptoms, bipolar disorder, or severe self-harm behaviors (requiring medical treatment).
Currently receiving other systematic psychotherapy. Severe cognitive or developmental disorders that prevent understanding of group content.
Unable to use a smartphone (affecting use of AI-assisted tools)
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adolescent Group Curriculum：8-week online group curriculum adapted from the adult MIED course for adolescents' cognitive development, social needs and preferences. 8 weekly sessions, 90-120 min each, via video conferencing; 2-3 groups of 9-13 participants (27-30 recruited, expected effective sample 20-24). Based on the MIED diamond model: engagement in life, tolerance of distress, emotional behaviours, cognitive flexibility. Interactive design and AI-assisted tools boost participation and practice adherence; modules refined per prior evidence. Parent Group Curriculum：Based on the parent group approach in the Chinese UP-A (Pan et al., 2025). Aims: improve parents' understanding of adolescent emotional distress; teach strategies supporting adolescents' mindfulness practice and emotion regulation; improve parent-child communication; support parents' own MIED practice and stress management. 4 sessions, every 2 weeks, 120 min each, online, parallel with the adolescent group.
Other: MIED-based Adolescent Mindfulness Intervention Group
Adolescent Group： Basic curriculum structure: 8 sessions, once per week, 90-120 minutes per session, 12-20 participants per group. Parent Group Curriculum：Number of sessions: 4 (or 8, synchronized with the adolescent group), once every 2 weeks (or once per week), 120 minutes per session.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale(GAD-7)
Anxiety symptoms: Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating worse outcome (more severe anxiety symptoms)
Time frame: Screening phase(Pre-enrollment screening,T0）, Baseline assessment(1 day before session 1,T1), Week4(After session 4,T2) ,Week8(After session 8,T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Patient Health Questionnaire-9(PHQ-9)
Depressive symptoms:Patient Health Questionnaire-9, 9 items, self-report;Scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating worse outcome.
Time frame: Screening phase(Pre-enrollment screening,T0）, Baseline assessment(1 day before session 1,T1), Week4(After session 4,T2) ,Week8(After session 8,T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Perceived Stress Scale(PSS-10)
Perceived stress:Perceived Stress Scale, 10 items, self-report;Scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating worse outcome.
Time frame: Screening phase(Pre-enrollment screening,T0）, Baseline assessment(1 day before session 1,T1), Week4(After session 4,T2) ,Week8(After session 8,T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale(CD-RISC-10)
Resilience :Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10, 10 items, self-report;Scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating better outcome
Time frame: Baseline assessment(1 day before session 1,T1), Week4(After session 4,T2) ,Week8(After session 8,T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form(DERS-16)
Difficulties in emotion regulation:Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Brief, 16 items, self-report;Scores range from 16 to 80, with higher scores indicating worse outcome
Time frame: Baseline assessment(1 day before session 1,T1), Week4(After session 4,T2) ,Week8(After session 8,T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS)
The OASIS is a 5-item self-report measure designed to assess the frequency and severity of anxiety symptoms, as well as the extent of anxiety-related functional impairment and avoidance, over the past week. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 0 to 4, with total scores ranging from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater overall anxiety severity and impairment. The OASIS has demonstrated good reliability and validity in both clinical and nonclinical samples (Norman et al., 2006).
Time frame: Baseline (T1), Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 (T2), 5, 6, 7 (during intervention), Week 8 immediately post-intervention (T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Overall Depression Severity and Impairment Scale (ODSIS)
The ODSIS is a 5-item self-report measure designed to assess the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms, as well as depression-related functional impairment and avoidance, over the past week. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 0 to 4, with total scores ranging from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater overall depression severity and impairment. The ODSIS has demonstrated good reliability and validity in both clinical and nonclinical samples (Bentley et al., 2014).
Time frame: Baseline (T1), Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 (T2), 5, 6, 7 (during intervention), Week 8 immediately post-intervention (T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form(FFMQ-SF)
Mindfulness level:Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form, 20 items, self-report; Scores range from 0 to 5 for average item scores and 24-120 for total scores, with higher scores indicating better outcome
Time frame: Baseline assessment(1 day before session 1,T1), Week4(After session 4,T2) ,Week8(After session 8,T3), and 1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
Process indicator - attendance rate
attendance rate. Scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher scores indicating better outcome.
Time frame: Week 8 (immediately after session 8,T3)
Process indicator -homework completion rate
Scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher scores indicating better outcome
Time frame: Week 8 (immediately after session 8,T3)
Process indicator - dropout rate and reasons
dropout rate and reasons: Scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher scores indicating worse outcome
Time frame: Week 8 (immediately after session 8,T3)
Acceptability
self-developed acceptability and satisfaction scale (adolescent/parent version, 1-5 Likert scale).with higher scores indicating better outcome
Time frame: Week 8 (immediately after session 8,T3)
Adverse Event Records
adverse event records (emotional deterioration, self-harm reports, number of crisis triggers);with more records indicating worse outcome
Time frame: Baseline (T1); Week4 (T2) during the intervention; immediately post-intervention at Week 8(T3); and1 month(post-intervention follow-up,T4)
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: Yes
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Clinical study report, Analytic code
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Nov 2026; primary completion for Mar 2027, 4 months later.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Xinghua Liu