The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a mindfulness booster course can reduce stress in healthcare staff who have previously attended a mindfulness course. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is a mindfulness booster course for healthcare staff effective at reducing their stress levels? * Are any benefits maintained for 8 weeks? Researchers will compare a mindfulness booster course with usual care to see if it helps to reduce stress. Participants will take part in either a mindfulness booster course or do what they usually do to look after their wellbeing. They will complete questionnaires at the beginning, middle and end of the study.
Aims: 1. To determine whether the mindfulness booster course for healthcare staff is effective in terms of the primary outcome (perceived stress) and secondary outcomes (wellbeing, depression, burnout, and compassion for others), and whether any benefits are maintained at follow-up. 2. To examine whether any effects on the above-mentioned outcomes are statistically mediated by changes in amount of mindfulness practice, rumination and worry, decentering, self-compassion, and trait mindfulness. 3. To develop an abbreviated grounded theory of the therapeutic process and outcomes of the mindfulness booster course. Hypotheses: 1. a) The primary hypothesis is that we will see a significantly greater decrease in the primary outcome of perceived stress at post-intervention (the primary time-point of Weeks 11-12) relative to baseline (Weeks 0-1) for the 'mindfulness-booster course plus treatment as usual (TAU)' intervention group compared to the 'TAU-only' control group. b) Our secondary hypothesis is that we will see significantly greater improvements in each of our secondary outcome measures at post-intervention (Weeks 11-12) relative to baseline for our intervention group compared to our control group. Improvements entail decreases in depression and burnout and increases in compassion for others and wellbeing. c) Our third hypothesis is that we will also see the effects detailed in (1a) and (1b) above at the follow-up time-point (Weeks 19-20). 2. a) The relationship between group allocation (intervention vs. control) and reduction in perceived stress, from baseline to follow-up (Weeks 19-20), will be statistically mediated by changes from baseline to post-intervention in the following psychological constructs: i) increase in amount of mindfulness practice, both formal and informal; ii) reduction in rumination and worry, i.e., repetitive negative thinking; iii) increase in decentering; iv) increase in self-compassion; v) increase in trait mindfulness. b) The relationships specified in Hypothesis 2a will also hold true for the secondary outcomes (i.e. change from baseline to follow-up \[Weeks 19-20\] in wellbeing, depression, burnout and compassion for others). c) i) The relationship between group allocation and reduction in perceived stress will be serially statistically as follows: intervention group allocation predicts increased mindfulness practice (from baseline to post-intervention \[Weeks 11-12\]) which in turn predicts change in psychological mechanisms (i.e., rumination/worry, decentering, self-compassion and trait mindfulness; from baseline to post-intervention \[Weeks 11-12\]), which in turn predict reduced perceived stress (from baseline to follow-up \[Weeks 19-20\]). ii) The relationships specified in Hypothesis 2c-i will also hold for the secondary outcomes (i.e. change from baseline to follow-up \[Weeks 19-20\] in wellbeing, depression, burnout and compassion for others). Design Information Not Included Elsewhere in this Registration: After Weeks 11-12, a subsample of intervention group participants will be invited to participate in a semi-structured individual interview, with the qualitative data being collected and analysed according to grounded theory principles. This aspect of the study has the following sub-aims: 1. To explore what processes occur during the mindfulness booster course, based on participants' experiences. 2. To explore how these processes interact with the participants' contexts, including, but not limited to, working in healthcare. 3. To explore how these processes and contexts interact with, and perhaps drive, any perceived impacts and outcomes of the course.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
186
The mindfulness booster course will consist of eight 30-minute sessions, which participants will be asked to commit to. These will be online and usually occur weekly. Within these sessions, there will be a 15-minute mindfulness practice followed by a 15-minute discussion. This discussion time will involve reflecting on the mindfulness practice and speaking about between-session practice. Participants will be encouraged to practice mindfulness for home work between the sessions.
Participants will be encouraged to continue with whatever activities they usually undertake to manage their stress and support their wellbeing.
Sussex Mindfulness Centre
Worthing, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Change in Perceived Stress Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 11-12.
The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a self-report measure of perceived stress, which produces a score ranging between 0 and 40. A higher score indicates greater perceived stress.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 11-12
Change in Perceived Stress Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 19-20.
The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a self-report measure of perceived stress, which produces a score ranging between 0 and 40. A higher score indicates greater perceived stress.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 19-20
Change in 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 11-12.
The 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) is a self-report measure of depression, which produces a score ranging between 0 and 24. A higher score indicates a greater level of depression symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 11-12.
Change in 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 19-20.
The 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) is a self-report measure of depression, which produces a score ranging between 0 and 24. A higher score indicates a greater level of depression symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 19-20
Change in Brief Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 11-12.
The Brief Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale (SOCS-O) is a 5-item, self-report measure of compassion for others, which produces a score ranging between 5 and 25. A higher score indicates greater compassion for others.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 11-12.
Change in Brief Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 19-20.
The Brief Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale (SOCS-O) is a 5-item, self-report measure of compassion for others, which produces a score ranging between 5 and 25. A higher score indicates greater compassion for others.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 19-20
Change in Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 11-12.
The Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) is a 7-item self-report measure of mental wellbeing, which produces a score ranging between 7 and 35. A higher score indicates a greater level of mental wellbeing.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 11-12.
Change in Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 19-20.
The Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) is a 7-item self-report measure of mental wellbeing, which produces a score ranging between 7 and 35. A higher score indicates a greater level of mental wellbeing.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 19-20.
Change in Sussex Burnout Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 11-12.
The Sussex Burnout Scale (SBS) is a 3-item self-report measure of burnout, which produces a score ranging between 3 and 15. A higher score indicates a greater level of burnout.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 11-12.
Change in Sussex Burnout Scale score from baseline (Weeks 0-1) at Weeks 19-20.
The Sussex Burnout Scale (SBS) is a 3-item self-report measure of burnout, which produces a score ranging between 3 and 15. A higher score indicates a greater level of burnout.
Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 0-1) and Weeks 19-20.
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