Effects of Mindfulness Training on Emotional Care

The University of Hong Kong299 enrolled

Overview

Teachers in Hong Kong are susceptible to professional stress and its associated psychosomatic illnesses. To enhance teachers' well-being, mindfulness training is conducted in local schools. The present study is a randomized controlled trial to investigate 1) the effects of mindfulness training on teachers' well-being (i.e. general health, positive affect, life satisfaction, stress, negative affect), and 2) the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of mindfulness (i.e. emotional care strategies including anchoring, decentering, and acceptance). Participants will be randomized to either intervention (8-week .b Foundations/ .begin course) or waiting-list control condition. They will complete survey before (baseline), after (post-intervention), and two-months (follow-up) after the intervention.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

299

Conditions

Mental Health Issue

Interventions

The .b Foundations course is an 8-week mindfulness program developed by Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) for school teachers and personnel. It includes a taster session and 8 weekly sessions. Each session lasts for 1.5 hours with a specific theme (e.g. Lesson 1 waking up from autopilot). Formal and informal mindfulness practices (e.g. mindful eating, body scan, mindful walking, habit releaser etc.), psychoeducation, cognitive exercises, inquiry, and home practice are involved.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 18 years old or above * Working in local schools or education institutions * Willing to participate in mindfulness training voluntarily Exclusion Criteria: * Experiencing severe or unstable mental health condition currently * Completed 8-week mindfulness training previously * Unwilling to go by random assignment

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in General Health

General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), 12 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)