Meditation Effective in Reducing Teacher Burnout and Improving Resilience: A Randomized Controlled Study
Laurent Valosek, Staci Wendt, Jan Link, Allan Abrams, Jerry Hipps, James Grant, Randi Nidich, Marie Loiselle, Sanford Nidich
Frontiers in Education March 4, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2021.627923 (opens in new tab) via DOAJ
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA meditation-based wellness program reduced emotional exhaustion, the core component of burnout, and improved resilience, perceived stress, fatigue, and depression in teachers. Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to the Transcendental Meditation program or a wait-list control group. At a four-month follow-up, the meditation group showed significant reductions in emotional exhaustion, perceived stress, and fatigue, and significant increases in resilience. Depression also improved but with less certainty. Eighty-seven percent of participants complied with daily home meditation practice. The findings suggest that meditation can help alleviate teacher burnout and related psychological distress.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 78 |
| Population | Teachers |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation program |
| Duration | Four-month posttest |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Teachers Burnout Stress Wellness |
| Key finding | The Transcendental Meditation program significantly reduced emotional exhaustion and improved resilience, perceived stress, fatigue, and depression in teachers compared to a wait-list control group. |
Abstract
Teacher burnout affects job performance and mental and physical health. This study evaluated the effects of a meditation-based wellness program on burnout, resilience, psychological distress, and fatigue. Seventy-eight participants, randomly assigned to the Transcendental Meditation program (n = 39) or to a wait-list control group (n = 39), were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Resilience Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System fatigue and depression scales at baseline and at four-month posttest. Intention-to-treat with all 78 participants was used for all analyses. Significant reduction on emotional exhaustion, the main scale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, was found for the meditation group compared to controls (p = 0.019). Significant improvements were also found on resilience (p = 0.014), perceived stress (p < 0.001), fatigue (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.091). Eighty-seven percent were compliant with their meditation home practice. Findings indicate that meditation is effective in improving burnout and associated resilience, psychological distress, and fatigue factors. Teachers may benefit from in-school wellness programs.