Psychosocial stress increases the risk for a multitude of diseases, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Stress may also result in increased utilization of health care services. In the workplace, stress leads to emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, lower productivity and impaired performance. Stress management programs and those based on mindfulness meditation have gained popularity in recent years. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of an 8-week web-based mindfulness stress reduction program and its effectiveness in reducing work related stress and improving well-being in a large corporate call center.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
161
The intervention, developed by the Cleveland Clinic, is an 8-week online, interactive, educational program based on mindfulness meditation. Briefly, each week subjects are introduced to the (1) weekly audio introduction to the mindfulness theme or particular meditation technique of the week, (2) weekly audio meditation techniques for relaxation, (3) daily articles providing scientific evidence and merits of meditation, and (4) bi-weekly email reminders. The introductory talks and meditation exercises were also provided on compact discs (CD) in mp3 format.
Subjects will meet once per week for 1 hour during the 8-week duration and practice 2-minutes of deep breathing exercises, listen to 10-minutes audio recording of the weekly lesson and practice 20-30 minutes guided meditation exercise. The remainder of the time will be used to foster sharing experiences and answering specific questions related to the weekly lesson.
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Assess whether an 8-week mindfulness stress reduction online program is effective in improving mindfulness.
Outcome measured using Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) questionnaire.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assess whether an 8-week mindfulness stress reduction online program is effective in reducing stress mindfulness.
Outcome measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) questionnaire.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assess whether an 8-week mindfulness stress reduction online program is effective in decreasing burnout mindfulness.
Outcome measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).
Time frame: 8 weeks
To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work enhances amount of meditation practice.
Outcome measured by self-reported average amount of weekly meditation practice.
Time frame: 8 weeks
To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work improves mindfulness.
Outcome measured using Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MASS) questionnaire.
Time frame: 8 week
To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work reduces stress.
Outcome measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) questionnaire.
Time frame: 8 weeks
To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work decreases burnout.
Outcome measured using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) questionnaire.
Time frame: 8 weeks
To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work enhances engagement.
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
A clinical psychologist will replace the non-expert facilitator during 4 group support sessions.
Engagement assessed by measuring number of weeks participants actively accessed the intervention website.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assess if the program is effective at increasing emotional well-being.
Outcome measured using emotional well-being subscale of the RAND Corporation's Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF36).
Time frame: 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 1 year
Assess whether the program leads to an increase in work productivity.
Productivity assessed using the call center composite measure of productivity computed monthly for each call service associate.
Time frame: 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 1 year
Assess if the program is effective at increasing vitality.
Outcome measured using vitality subscale of the RAND Corporation's Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF36).
Time frame: 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year
Assess if the program is effective at increasing emotional role functioning.
Outcome measured using emotional role functioning subscale of the RAND Corporation's Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF36).
Time frame: 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year