# Piloting an mHealth-delivered Mindfulness Therapy with Patients with Serious Illness and their Caregivers to Alleviate Symptoms of Anxiety

> **NIH NIH K76** · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES · 2022 · $242,989

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Candidate: Elissa Kozlov’s career goal is to be an independent investigator dedicated to improving the mental
health outcomes of older adults with serious illness and their families, while establishing herself as a leader in
the field of geriatric mental health care and palliative care. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise
in geriatrics and palliative care, and she has authored 25 peer-reviewed (15 first-authored) manuscripts.
Research: Up to 70% of adults with serious illness have symptoms of anxiety. Undiagnosed and undertreated
anxiety contributes to higher risk of pain, depression, fatigue, dyspnea, and polypharmacy. Patients with high
symptom burden and anxiety heavily impact family caregivers, which nearly 8 million older adults in the U.S.
rely on for assistance. Decades of research reveal the negative effects of caregiving on caregivers, (e.g., high
levels of stress, depression, and anxiety). Furthermore, there is a mutuality of distress in the caregiver/patient
dyad — when patients suffer psychologically, the caregiver suffers too. Unfortunately, older adults and their
caregivers have limited access to mental health resources because of shortages of mental health providers as
well as logistical issues including time constraints, transportation, and scheduling. The objective of this study is
to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Mindfulness Coach, an mHealth
Mindfulness Therapy intervention developed by the Veterans Affairs, to reduce anxiety in older adults with
serious illness and their family caregivers. An efficacious and scalable behavioral intervention that mitigates
symptoms of patient and caregiver anxiety has the potential to reduce distress and enhance coping in the
patient–caregiver dyad without contributing to polypharmacy or burdensome appointments. Research is
urgently needed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of dyadic mHealth
mindfulness therapy in older adults with serious illness and their caregivers.
Career Development: Dr. Kozlov has assembled an interdisciplinary team of mentors (Primary: Drs. Dong &
Reid, Mentorship Committee [Israel, Duberstein, and Hoover]) with expertise in geriatrics, mental health,
dissemination and implementation sciences, caregiving, and mHealth. Her career development plan integrates
coursework, seminars, and mentorship in the following areas: (1) Skills in mHealth interventions, data analysis
and clinical trials, 2) Dyadic interventions and analyses in geriatrics and palliative care, 3) Dissemination and
Implementation sciences (D&I), and 4) Leadership and grantsmanship. With support from the Rutgers
University Institute for Health, Health Policy and Aging Research, The School of Public Health and RWJ
Barnabas Healthcare System, Dr. Kozlov is positioned to lead geriatric mental health initiatives that are
supported by rigorous, programmatic research. The proposed research, training, and men...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10493322
- **Project number:** 7K76AG068508-02
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Elissa K Kozlov
- **Activity code:** K76 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $242,989
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2021-09-30 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10493322

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10493322, Piloting an mHealth-delivered Mindfulness Therapy with Patients with Serious Illness and their Caregivers to Alleviate Symptoms of Anxiety (7K76AG068508-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10493322. Licensed CC0.

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