On Top of Everything: a study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial testing a teacher training programme to teach mindfulness among students in Danish upper secondary schools and schools of health and social care.
Michelle Sand Beck, Lise Juul, Morten Frydenberg, Lone Overby Fjorback
Trials January 6, 2023 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-06920-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pragmatic cluster-randomised two-arm superiority trial (protocol) Randomized Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,100 |
| Population | Students aged 16 to 24 years in 30 Danish upper secondary schools and 13 schools of health and social care, plus 76 teachers |
| Intervention | mindfulness programme delivered to students |
| Duration | 6 months from baseline (primary outcome), with secondary assessments at 3 and 6 months |
| Measures | Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), short version |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Adolescent Mental health Mindfulness-based stress reduction Pragmatic clinical trial School-based intervention Young adult |
| Registration | NCT04610333 |
| Key findings | The protocol aims to test whether a multi-level intervention combining teacher training with a student mindfulness programme improves students' self-reported mental well-being at six months compared with education as usual, and to assess effects in a vulnerable subgroup and identify teachers' facilitators and barriers to implementing mindfulness. |
Abstract
Mental health is decreasing among young people in Denmark. Our primary aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher training programme to teach mindfulness as part of regular classroom teaching in Danish upper secondary schools and schools of health and social care on students' self-reported mental well-being 6 months from baseline. Secondary aims are (1) to evaluate the effectiveness in a vulnerable subgroup as well as in the total population of students 3 and 6 months from baseline using other outcome measures on mental health and (2) to investigate the facilitators and barriers among teachers to implement mindfulness in schools. This pragmatic cluster-randomised two-arm superiority trial includes 30 upper secondary schools, 13 schools of health and social care, 76 teachers, and approximately 1100 students aged 16 to 24 years. Our intervention is multi-level and consists of (a) a teacher training programme and (b) a mindfulness programme delivered to students. Students in control schools receive education as usual. Our primary study population is the total population of students. The primary outcome is changes in the short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS). We also evaluate the effectiveness in a vulnerable subgroup (the 15% with the lowest SWEMWBS score), as well as in the total population of students 3 and 6 months from baseline using other outcome measures on mental health. Data will be analysed using repeated measurement models taking clusters into account. Facilitators and barriers among teachers to implement mindfulness in schools will be investigated through qualitative focus group interviews. The trial will estimate the effectiveness of a population-based strategy on mental health in Danish young people enrolled in education. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04610333 . Registered on October 10 2020.
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
Cites 3
- Research Review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 22, 2018
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Examining the Occurrence and Clinical Impact of Difficult Experiences that Emerge during a Mindfulness-Based Intervention among Individuals at High-Risk of Suicide. Mindfulness June 18, 2024