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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT07165795

Pilot Study to Evaluate the Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Telomere Activity and Well-Being Among Nurse Managers

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a health and coping strategy (Transcendental Meditation, or TM) on Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity (known markers of physiological and psychological stress and aging), Perceived Stress, Work Life Balance, Flourishing, Power as Knowing Participation in Change, and Burnout, among nurse managers.

Aim 1: To evaluate the effects of TM compared to usual care delayed instruction on TL and TA.

Aim 2: To evaluate the effects of TM compared to usual care delayed instruction on work life climate, flourishing, perceived stress, burnout, and power as knowing participation in change.

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Key information

Conditions

Meditation

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

Sarasota, Florida, 34239, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Nurse managers within the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMHCS);
  • Stable for at least two months on any prescribed medications (for example, anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medications)

Exclusion criteria

  • prior instruction in the TM technique

Treatment and study plan

Transcendental Meditation

Behavioral

Standard TM instruction by certified TM teachers, including 4 days of initial training (60-90 min/day), then follow-up sessions (60-90 min) every 2-4 weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Telomere Length

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    T/S ratio; processed by UCSF Blackburn Labs SOP #104D

  2. Telomerase Activity

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    (# positive copies/10,000 input cells) ; processed by UCSF Blackburn Labs SOP #104D

Secondary outcomes

  1. Work-Life Climate Scale

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    (Sexton, et al., 2017); measures work/life balance; responses range from 0-4; survey scores range 0-32, with lower scores reflecting better work/life balance.

  2. Secure Flourishing Index, SFI

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    (Weziak-Bialowolska et al., 2019); measures multidimensional well-being; survey scores range from 0-120, with higher scores reflecting a higher level of flourishing.

  3. Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS10)

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    (Cohen, 1988); measures the perception of stressful thoughts and feelings in preceding month; responses range from 0-40 with higher scores indicating higher levels of stress.

  4. Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    (Maslach & Jackson, 1984); Consists of three subscales: Emotional Exhaustion (9-items, score range 0-54, higher scores indicate more emotional exhaustion); Depersonalization (5-items, score range 0-18, higher scores indicate more depersonalization); and Personal Accomplishment (8-items, score range 0-48, higher scores indicate higher level of personal accomplishment).

  5. Power as Knowing Participation in Change (PKPCT)

    Time frame: baseline, 1-month, 4-months

    Barrett (1983, 1984, 2010); Scores range from 48-336 in four subscales with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived power.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

Other

Collaborators

  • Florida Atlantic University

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Sep 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Sep 10, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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