Feasibility and effectiveness of the mindfulness-based stress reduction programs on relieving burnout of healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot randomized controlled trial in China
Ruochen Gan, Shulin Chen, Jiang Xue
Human Resources for Health November 24, 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s12960-024-00959-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 112 |
| Population | Healthcare providers in China |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | Pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention measures |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Randomized controlled trial Burnout Healthcare providers Emotion regulation |
| Key findings | MBSR significantly increased personal accomplishment and decreased emotional exhaustion in healthcare providers compared to controls, with no significant effect on depersonalization. |
Abstract
Abstract Background The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic brings critical health problems to workers in many occupations, particularly healthcare providers. The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on relieving burnout of healthcare providers during the pandemic. The roles of positive and negative emotion as well as emotion regulation strategy in the intervention effects were also investigated.
Methods: A sample of 112 healthcare providers in China were recruited and randomly assigned to the MBSR (n = 56) or the control condition (n = 56). Measures were collected at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention, assessing mindfulness level, emotion regulation strategy, positive and negative emotion, and burnout.
Results: The MBSR program showed acceptable feasibility. Compared to the control group, healthcare providers in the MBSR group showed significant increase in personal accomplishment and decrease in emotional exhaustion after the intervention. No significant difference was detected on the dimension of depersonalization. Results of mediation analyses implied that cognitive reappraisal and positive affect partially mediated the intervention effects on personal accomplishment.
Conclusions: The study provided preliminary evidence that the MBSR programs might be effective in reducing healthcare providers’ burnout, even during the pandemic. Cognitive reappraisal and positive emotion might be important mechanisms of how the training took effect.