Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention Among Arab Teachers Are Mediated by Decentering: A Pilot Study
Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, Shiri Lavy, Kholoud Shanboor
Frontiers in Psychology September 29, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.542986 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study with pre-post design and a control condition Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 39 |
| Population | Arab elementary school teachers in Israel from two schools |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 20 |
| Key points | In the MBI group only, teachers increased on three mindfulness subscales (acting-with-awareness, non-reactivity, observance), decentering, and adaptive emotion regulation (reappraisal), and decreased in stress. Changes in decentering mediated the association between changes in mindfulness and changes in emotion regulation, which the authors say provides initial support for the MSSR model and for MBI feasibility and efficacy among Israeli Arab teachers. |
Abstract
While mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in education are widely spreading in the world, examination of mindfulness effects in Arab schools is still scarce. This pilot study aimed to fill this gap, by examining the effects of an MBI among Arab teachers in Israel. This examination was conducted within the framework of the mindful self in school relationships (MSSR) model, which suggests that the positive effects of MBI on teachers' emotion regulation are mediated by decentering. The participants (N =39) were teachers from two Arab elementary schools in Israel, who underwent an MBI course (the MBI condition; N=20) and another cognitive intervention (the control condition; N=19). In a pre-post design, participants completed mindfulness, decentering, emotion regulation, and stress questionnaires. We hypothesized that: (1) only in the MBI group, teachers’ mindfulness, decentering, and emotional regulation will increase, and stress will decrease; (2) changes in teachers’ decentering would mediate the associations of changes in teachers’ mindfulness with changes in their emotion regulation. ANOVA analyses showed that only in the MBI condition, teachers showed an increase in three mindfulness subscales (acting-with-awareness, non-reactivity, and observance), in decentering, and in adaptive emotion regulation (reappraisal), and a decrease in stress. Furthermore, changes from pre-intervention to post-intervention in teachers’ decentering mediated the associations of their pre-post changes in mindfulness with changes in emotion regulation. This study provides initial support to the feasibility and efficacy of MBI among Israeli Arab teachers, and suggests decentering as a potential mediator of its effects, in initial support of the MSSR model.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Decentering as a mediator of the effect of mindfulness on emotional distress: Evidence from cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Psychotherapy Research November 17, 2024
- The Impacts of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) on Teachers’ Mindfulness, Mindful Teaching, and Self-Efficacy: A Systematic Review Mindfulness March 1, 2026
- The Need for Mindfulness in the Arab-Bedouin Community in Israel: Recommendations for Cultural and Context-Informed Adaptations Mindfulness October 17, 2025
- The Relationship Between Trait Mindfulness and Depression Severity Among People With Schizophrenia: The Role of Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association January 30, 2025
- The Impact of a Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Intervention on Stress, Burnout, and Psychological Well-Being Among Arab Teachers in Israel: A Longitudinal Study
Cites 10
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness for Teachers: A Pilot Study to Assess Effects on Stress, Burnout, and Teaching Efficacy Mind, Brain, and Education August 16, 2013
- An empirical study of the mechanisms of mindfulness in a mindfulness‐based stress reduction program Journal of Clinical Psychology March 6, 2009
- Contemplative neuroscience, self-awareness, and education. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- Decentering in the process of cultivating mindfulness: An experience-sampling study in time and context. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology February 2017
and 5 more in the library