A randomised trial of Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care with social workers.
Alan Maddock, Karen McGuigan, Pearse McCusker
Current Psychology February 25, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04410-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | Social workers |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care (MBSWSC) programme |
| Duration | Six-week programme, pre-post intervention measures |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Stress Mental health Social work Burnout Self-care |
| Registration | NCT05519267 |
| Key findings | The six-week online MBSWSC programme was superior to an active control mindfulness programme at improving stress, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression, as well as acceptance, mindfulness, non-attachment, attention regulation (decentering), and worry. The authors suggest MBSWSC is a useful therapeutic programme for improving mental health and well-being in social workers. |
Abstract
Abstract: The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of a bespoke and innovative six-week online Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care (MBSWSC) programme on the stress, feelings of burnout, anxiety, depression, and well-being of a sample of social workers. This secondary objective was to examine the effectiveness of MBSWSC at improving a number of potentially important mindfulness-based programme mechanisms of action, including mindfulness, attention regulation (decentering), acceptance, self-compassion, non-attachment, aversion, worry and rumination. A randomised controlled trial with repeated measures (pre-post intervention) was conducted to evaluate the effects of MBSWSC against an active control. The active control was a modified mindfulness-based programme which focussed on supporting increases in mindfulness and self-compassion in social workers with a view to improving the same primary study outcomes. Sixty-two participants were randomly allocated to MBSWSC (n = 33) or the active control (n = 29). When compared to the active control group, the MBSWSC programme was found to be significantly superior at improving stress, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. MBSWSC was also superior to the active control at improving acceptance, mindfulness, non-attachment, attention regulation (decentering) and worry of the social workers in this study. The results suggest that MBSWSC is a very useful therapeutic programme, which has the capacity to improve a range of important mental health and well-being outcomes for social workers. The results also indicate that the MBSWSC programme has the capacity to improve a range of important mindfulness-based mechanisms of action. Trial registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05519267 (retrospectively registered).
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The effect of mindfulness meditation on depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports August 30, 2024
- Virtual reality based mindfulness applications: a commercial health app review medRxiv March 24, 2025
- Testing mindfulness mechanisms of action on depression, anxiety, and mental well-being of social workers Current Psychology April 24, 2025
Cites 8
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- Treatment-specific changes in decentering following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus antidepressant medication or placebo for prevention of depressive relapse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology March 12, 2012
- How do mindfulness-based programmes improve anxiety, depression and psychological distress? A systematic review Current Psychology April 1, 2023
- Effectiveness of online mindfulness-based interventions in improving mental health: A review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review April 1, 2016
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in recurrent depressed patients with and without a current depressive episode: a randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine May 2012
and 3 more in the library