A Mindfulness Based Intervention as a Key Component of Successful Workplace Functioning and Personal Well-being

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week program in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in reducing work absences and improving the well-being of healthcare workers. Half of participants will be healthcare employees who are frequently absent from work, whereas the other half will be healthcare employees with normal attendance patterns. All participants will undergo MBSR training and the outcomes of both groups will be evaluated.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Burnout, Professional; Emotional Stress; Work Related Illnesses; Burnout Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Detailed Description

The scientific literature is replete with evidence that the demands and pace of providing healthcare is associated with high levels of stress, anxiety, burnout, diminished work engagement, and frequent absence. For example, Actionmarguerite is one of the largest personal care facilities in Western Canada. They have over 500 employees who routinely deal with the task of providing care to a large population of individuals requiring high levels of support. A great many of the residents are suffering progressive dementia and some have very difficult behavioural issues. Caretaker stress is exacerbated by the fact that even the highest, most compassionate levels of care are not likely to result in improvement. The employee population is, therefore, taxed such that one might expect to observe a high level of stress-related illness and accidents. An internal examination of the employee database has identified an interesting circumstance. Approximately fifty of the employees have patterns of persistent, recurring injury, show signs of stress/caretaker stress, depletion, and preoccupation. This group has also largely exhausted their sick leave benefits. Clearly, the medical treatments and the time away from work have not cured the underlying predisposition for accidental injury and illness for these individuals. Such may be the case for employees of other healthcare facilities in Canada and elsewhere.

The question has arisen whether Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as an option available for frequently absent employees would alter the pattern of recurrence and reduce stress. MBSR is a program initially developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre as a means of reducing the chronic stress of patients experiencing high levels of disabling, chronic physical pain. Scientific evaluation of the program demonstrated significant success. Importantly, MBSR training has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and promote psychological well-being, both for individuals in the general population and for healthcare workers in particular. Indeed, our own work has demonstrated that MBSR resulted in a very substantial and statistically significant reduction of stress in a diverse group of individuals employed in healthcare.

The purpose of the present research is to examine the efficacy of a program of MBSR to interrupt the existing pattern of recurrent work-related accidents, injuries, and illness; and also, to promote both psychological and physical well-being and to allow a more meaningful and successful return to work. We intend to recruit four groups of thirty participants from two local healthcare institutions (Actionmarguerite and St. Amant). Each group will consist of (a) fifteen individuals identified by the respective institutions as frequently-absent employees, and (b) fifteen individuals who express interest in participation and are randomly selected from the general population of healthcare employees at the two institutions to serve as statistical controls. All participants will receive an intervention of MBSR training. They will complete a survey battery both pre- and post- intervention and provide access to their work histories. We hope to establish that MBSR can be an extremely useful component of a program intended to reverse patterns of frequent absence.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Manitoba
    • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R2H 2A6
      • Recruiting
      • St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre
      • Contact: Michael McIntyre, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 1-204-235-3206; Email: mmcintyre@sbrc.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• An employee of Actionmarguerite or St. Amant Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada who has contact with patients.

Exclusion Criteria:

• None.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Frequently Absent; 8 weeks of training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction	Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); The MBSR program was developed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Active Comparator: Normal Attendees (Controls); 8 weeks of training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction	Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); The MBSR program was developed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in the Number of Work Absences	A comparison between the number of work absences in the 2 years prior versus 2 years following the intervention. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in the number of work absences.	Baseline and 2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in the Number of Workplace Accidents and Injuries	A comparison between the number of workplace accidents and injuries in the 2 years prior versus 2 years following the intervention. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in the number of workplace accidents and injuries.	Baseline and 2 years
Change in the Number of Late Work Arrivals	A comparison between the number of late work arrivals in the 2 years prior versus 2 years following the intervention. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in the number of late work arrivals.	Baseline and 2 years
Change in Perceived Stress	Assessed by total scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983), which range from 1 to 5 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Burnout	Assessed by total scores and subscale scores (personal burnout, work burnout, client burnout) on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (Kristensen et al., 2005), which range from 1 to 5 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in burnout.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Positive and Negative Emotions	Assessed by subscale scores (positive affect, negative affect) on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al., 1988), which range from 1 to 5 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant increase in positive emotions and a statistically significant decrease in negative emotions.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Anxiety	Assessed by total scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1983), which range from 1 to 4 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in anxiety.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Health Locus of Control	Assessed by subscale scores (internal, chance, powerful others) on the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (Wallston et al., 1978), which range from 1 to 6 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant increase in internal health locus of control.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Workplace Deviance	Assessed by total scores on the Workplace Deviance Scale (Bennett & Robinson, 2000), which range from 1 to 7 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in workplace deviance.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Mindfulness	Assessed by total scores and subscale scores on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006), which range from 1 to 5 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant increase in mindfulness.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Self-Compassion	Assessed by total scores and subscale scores on the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), which range from 1 to 5 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant increase in self-compassion.	Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in Fears of Compassion	Assessed by total scores and subscale scores on the Fears of Compassion Scales (Gilbert et al., 2011), which range from 0 to 4 when item scores are averaged. The desired outcome is a statistically significant decrease in fears of compassion.	Baseline and 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Manitoba
• Collaborators: Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba; Catholic Health Corporation of Manitoba
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michael McIntyre, Ph.D., St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 24, 2019
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): September 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Anticipated): September 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 24, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): May 31, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 25, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 24, 2019
• Last Verified: June 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mindfulness; Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Stress; Occupational Diseases; Burnout, Professional; Burnout, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: H2018:467

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No