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A Non-Randomised Feasibility Trial Assessing the Efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Teachers to Reduce Stress and Improve Well-Being

Mindfulness volume 7, pages 198–208 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Teacher stress is a serious and endemic concern. Mindfulness-based interventions show promise in reducing stress and increasing well-being by cultivating mindfulness and self-compassion. This feasibility trial evaluated a mindfulness-based programme customised for teachers. A sample of 89 secondary school teachers and staff were recruited and self-selected into the intervention (n = 49) or comparison (n = 40) conditions. Participants were asked to complete self-reports which measured stress (PSS), well-being (WEMWBS), mindfulness (FFMQ), and self-compassion (SCS; Kindness and Self-Judgement) at baseline and after the completion of the intervention. Results revealed that individuals in the intervention condition reported significant reductions in stress, and significant increases in well-being post-intervention in comparison to their counterparts in the comparison group. There was an observed large effect (η p 2 > .14) for the intervention on all outcome measures, an effect that was maintained when controlling for baseline differences between the intervention and comparison groups. Furthermore, the majority (95 %) of teachers who attended the course found it to be acceptable. These results indicate that a customised mindfulness-based programme for teachers is a promising approach to reducing stress and increasing well-being, mindfulness, and self-compassion among secondary school teachers. However, the results of the current study are preliminary and the next phase of work will involve extending to a larger scale randomised controlled trial.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, S4S0A2, Canada

    Shadi Beshai

  2. Psychology; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK

    Lindi McAlpine

  3. Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, University Rd, Southampton, S017 1BJ, UK

    Katherine Weare

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, 0X3 7JX, UK

    Willem Kuyken

Authors
  1. Shadi Beshai
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  2. Lindi McAlpine
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  3. Katherine Weare
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  4. Willem Kuyken
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Correspondence to Willem Kuyken.

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Beshai, S., McAlpine, L., Weare, K. et al. A Non-Randomised Feasibility Trial Assessing the Efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Teachers to Reduce Stress and Improve Well-Being. Mindfulness 7, 198–208 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0436-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0436-1

Keywords

  • Feasibility trial
  • Mindfulness
  • Teachers
  • Stress
  • Well-being