Abstract
Objectives
The initial results of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) designed for teachers have shown promise for promoting teachers’ social and emotional competencies, their health, and well-being. The present study examined the effectiveness of CARE for Teachers program outside the USA in the country of Croatia, Europe, through self-report assessment and collection of physiological data.
Methods
The sample included 54 teachers and other school personnel from public schools of which 25 were involved in the CARE for Teachers training. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures to assess mindfulness, burnout, self-compassion, and compassion. Non-ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate monitoring was also conducted.
Results
At the post-test, intervention had significant positive effects on self-compassion (d = .35, p = .043), and two of its subscales, common humanity (d = .49, p = .043) and mindfulness (d = .66, p = .043). There were no significant effects at post-test on other self-report measures. At the follow-up, participants reported significantly higher levels of observing, self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), and compassion, and significantly lower levels of over-identification and disengagement than those in the control group, with medium-to-large effect sizes ranging from 0.50 to 0.73. There were no effects of the intervention at follow-up on burnout measures. Regarding cardiovascular measures, at post-test, CARE participants showed significantly lower average heart rates (d = − .60, p = .020) than those in the control group. However, we found no significant intervention impacts on the blood pressure measures at post. The intervention impact showed no effect on the cardiovascular measures at follow-up.
Conclusions
The introduction of the mindfulness-based intervention to a group of educators in Croatia had positive impacts on several indicators of their well-being and cardiovascular health.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akselrod, S., Gordon, D., Ubel, F. A., Shannon, D. C., Berger, A. C., & Cohen, R. J. (1981). Power spectrum analysis of heart rate fluctuation: a quantitative probe of beat-to-beat cardiovascular control. Science, 213, 220–222.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27–45.
Berntson, G. G., Bigger, J. T., Eckberg, D. L., Grossman, P., Kaufmann, P. G., Malik, M., et al. (1997). Heart rate variability: origins, methods, and interpretive caveats. Psychophysiology, 34, 623–648.
Beshai, S., McAlpine, L., Weare, K., & Kuyken, W. (2016). A non-randomized feasibility trial assessing the efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention for teachers to reduce stress and improve well-being. Mindfulness, 7, 198–208.
Briner, R., & Dewberry, C. (2007). Staff wellbeing is key to school success: a research study into the links between staff wellbeing and school performance. Department of Organizational Psychology, Birbeck, University of London, in partnership with Worklife Support.
Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 23–33.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., & Perry, N. E. (2012). School climate and social-emotional learning: predicting teacher stress, job satisfaction, and teaching efficacy. Journal of Education & Psychology, 104(4), 1189–1204.
Cullen, M. (2011). Mindfulness-based interventions: an emerging phenomenon. Mindfulness, 2, 186–193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-011-0058-1.
Davidson, R. J., & Kaszniak, A. W. (2015). Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. The American Psychologist, 70(7), 581–592. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039512.
De Vibe, M., Bjørndal, A., Tipton, E., Hammerstrøm, K. T., & Kowalski, K. (2012). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving health, quality of life and social functioning in adults. Campbell Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2012.3.
Dimsdale, J. E. (2008). Psychological stress and cardiovascular disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 51(13), 1237–1246.
Emerson, L. M., Leyland, A., Hudson, K., Rowse, G., Hanley, P., & Hugh-Jones, S. (2017). Teaching mindfulness to teachers: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. Mindfulness, 8(5), 1136–1149.
Eurostat. (2019). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics#Longer-term_unemployment_trends Accessed 2 Dec 2019.
Fisher, M. H. (2011). Factors influencing stress, burnout, and retention of secondary teachers. Current Issues in Education, 14(1), 1–37.
Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L., Bonus, K., & Davidson, R. J. (2013). Mindfulness for teachers: a pilot study to assess effects on stress, burnout and teaching efficacy. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7, 182–195.
Foro, D. (2015). Professional competence of teachers in coping with stressful situations at school. Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
Fox, K., Borer, J. S., Camm, A. J., Danchin, N., Ferrari, R., Lopez Sendon, J. L., et al. (2007). Resting heart rate in cardiovascular disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 50(9), 823–830.
Franco, C., Mañas, I., Cangas, A. J., Moreno, E., & Gallego, J. (2010). Reducing teachers’ psychological distress through a mindfulness training program. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 13, 655–666.
Frank, J. L., Reibel, D., Broderick, P., Cantrell, T., & Metz, S. (2015). The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction on educator stress and well-being: results from a pilot study. Mindfulness, 6, 208–216.
Gardner, S. (2010). Stress among prospective teachers: a review of the literature. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(8), 18–28.
Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: a meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57, 35–43.
Gunnar, M., & Quevedo, K. (2007). The neurobiology of stress and development. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 145–173.
Harris, A. R., Jennings, P. A., Katz, D. A., Abenavoli, R. M., & Greenberg, M. T. (2016). Promoting stress management and wellbeing in educators: feasibility and efficacy of a school-based yoga and mindfulness intervention. Mindfulness, 7(1), 143–154.
Hill, K. G., Woodward, D., Woelfel, T., Hawkins, J. D., & Green, S. (2016). Planning for long-term follow-up: strategies learned from longitudinal studies. Prevention Science, 17(7), 806–818.
Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 537–559.
Institute of Education Sciences. (2020). What works clearinghouse: procedures handbook (version 4.1). https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/referenceresources/WWC-Procedures-Handbook-v4-1-508.pdf Accessed 2 Dec 2019.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525.
Jennings, P. A., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2011). Improving classroom learning environments by Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE): results of two pilot studies. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 46, 37–48.
Jennings, P. A., Frank, J. L., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2013). Improving classroom learning environments by Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE): results of a randomized controlled trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 28, 374–390.
Jennings, P. A., Brown, J. L., Frank, J. L., Doyle Fosco, S. L., Oh, Y., Davis, R., et al. (2017). Impacts of the CARE for teachers program on teachers’ social and emotional competence and classroom interactions. Journal of Education & Psychology, 109(7), 1010–1028.
Jennings, P. A., Doyle, S., Oh, Y., Rasheed, D., Frank, J. L., & Brown, J. L. (2019). Long-term impacts of the CARE program on teachers’ self-reported social and emotional competence and well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 76, 186–202.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hyperion.
Katz, D. A., Harris, A., Abenavoli, R., Greenberg, M. T., & Jennings, P. A. (2018). Educators’ emotion regulation strategies and their physiological indicators of chronic stress over 1 year. Stress and Health, 34(2), 278–285.
Kyriacou, C. (2011). Teacher stress: from prevalence to resilience. In J. Langan-Fox & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Handbook of stress in the occupations (pp. 161–173). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Little, R. J. A., & Rubin, D. B. (2002). Statistical analysis with missing data (Second ed.). New York: Wiley.
Macuka, I., Burić, I., & Slišković, A. (2017). Emocionalna iskustva učitelja kao prediktori njihova mentalnoga zdravlja. Psihologijske Teme, 26(2), 355–375.
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). Maslach Burnout Inventory. In C. P. Zalaquett & R. J. Wood (Eds.), Evaluating stress: a book of resources (pp. 191–218). Scarecrow.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422.
McEwen, B. S. (2008). Central effects of stress hormones in health and disease: understanding the protective and damaging effects of stress and stress mediators. European Journal of Pharmacology, 583, 174–185.
Mourya, M., Mahajan, A. S., Singh, N. P., & Jain, A. K. (2009). Effect of slow-and fast-breathing exercises on autonomic functions in patients with essential hypertension. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(7), 711–717.
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998-2012). Mplus user’s guide: statistical analysis with latent variables (7th ed.). Muthén & Muthén.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion an alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2, 85–101.
Oberle, E., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2016). Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students. Social Science & Medicine, 159, 30–37.
Perloff, D., Grim, C., Flack, J., Frohlich, E. D., Hill, M., McDonald, M., & Morgenstern, B. Z. (1993). Human blood pressure determination by sphygmomanometry. Circulation, 88(5), 2460–2470.
Petegem, K., Creemers, B. P. M., Rossel, Y., & Aelterman, A. (2005). Relationships between teacher characteristics, interpersonal teacher behaviour and teacher wellbeing. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 40(2), 34–43.
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) manual: K–3. Brookes.
Pommier, E. A. (2011). The Compassion Scale. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 72(4-a), 1174.
Poulin, P. A., Mackenzie, C. S., Soloway, G., & Karayolas, E. (2008). Mindfulness training as an evidenced-based approach to reducing stress and promoting well-being among human services professionals. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 46, 72–80.
Raes, F., Pommier, E., Neff, K. D., & Van Gucht, D. (2011). Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the Self-Compassion Scale. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 18, 250–255.
Roeser, R. W., Skinner, E., Beers, J., & Jennings, P. A. (2012). Mindfulness training and teachers’ professional development: an emerging area of research and practice. Child Development Perspectives, 6, 167–173.
Roeser, R. W., Schonert-Reichl, K., Jha, A., Cullen, M., Wallace, L., Wilensky, R., et al. (2013). Mindfulness training and reductions in teacher stress and burnout: results from two randomized, waitlist-control field trials. Journal of Education & Psychology, 105, 787–804.
Shi, L., Zhang, D., Wang, L., Zhuang, J., Cook, R., & Chen, L. (2017). Meditation and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal of Hypertension, 35(4), 696–706.
Taelman, J., Vandeput, S., Spaepen, A., & Van Huffel, S. (2009). Influence of mental stress on heart rate and heart rate variability. In J. Vander Sloten, P. Verdonck, M. Nyssen, & J. Haueisen (Eds.), 4th European Conference of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering. IFMBE Proceedings (Vol. 22). Springer.
TALIS. (2018). Technical report. https://www.oecd.org/education/talis/TALIS_2018_Technical_Report.pdf. Accessed 2 Dec 2019.
Taylor, C., Harrison, J., Haimovitz, K., Oberle, E., Thomson, K., Schonert-Reichl, K., & Roeser, R. W. (2016a). Erratum to “Examining ways that a mindfulness-based intervention reduces stress in public school teachers: a mixed-methods study.”. Mindfulness, 7, 1499.
Taylor, C., Harrison, J., Haimovitz, K., Oberle, E., Thomson, K., Schonert-Reichl, K., & Roeser, R. W. (2016b). Examining ways that a mindfulness-based intervention reduces stress in public school teachers: a mixed-methods study. Mindfulness, 7, 115–129.
The World Bank. (2019). https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/croatia/publication/croatia-poverty-maps Accessed 2 Dec 2019.
Tomašević, S., Horvat, G., & Leutar, Z. (2016). Intenzitet stresa kod učitelja u osnovnim školama. Socijalne teme: Časopis za Pitanja Socijalnog Rada i Srodnih Znanosti, 1(3), 49–65.
Acknowledgments
Special appreciation is expressed to the teachers and school personnel who participated in the study and all colleagues and researchers who were involved in this study realization.
Funding
This study was funded by The Mind & Life Francisco J. Varela Research Grants (grant number: 2015-EVarela-Mihic, Josipa).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
JM and MG contributed to the study conceptualization and design. JM collaborated in study conduction and introduction section preparation and prepared initial drafts of the methods, discussion and conclusion, and study limitations and future research recommendations sections. YO conducted the data analyses and wrote analysis and results section. YO, MG, and JM edited the final manuscript. VK collaborated in study conduction and preparing introduction section.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Review Ethical Board of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Written consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Conflict of Interest
CARE for Teachers training was conducted by Mark Greenberg’s partner, Christa Turksma, program creator. No other authors have any conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mihić, J., Oh, Y., Greenberg, M. et al. Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Social-Emotional Learning Program CARE for Teachers Within Croatian Context. Mindfulness 11, 2206–2218 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01446-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01446-y