Effectiveness of a mindfulness program in changing attitudes to reduce work stress: a randomized controlled trial
Raúl Guzmán, Yuri Félix Chávez-Luque, Guillermo Sebastián Medina, Celin Daniel Valdiviezo
Frontiers in Public Health September 22, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1912184 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized block design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Workers from high-risk industrial areas |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based program enhanced by virtual reality Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) |
| Duration | Nine 30-min sessions |
| Measures | attitude scale regarding occupational risk prevention (accidents), work-related stress scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Adding a mindfulness-based program with virtual reality to Behavior-Based Safety significantly improved workers' attitudes toward occupational risk prevention (p < 0.005). Work-related stress decreased, but the reduction was not statistically significant after MANOVA and Bonferroni correction. The authors conclude that mindfulness complements and improves safety attitudes. |
Abstract
Worker safety is fundamental in any organization, so we propose a mindfulness-based program enhanced by virtual reality (VR) to improve attitudes toward preventing occupational risks and accidents and reduce work-related stress in an industrial company. The program was implemented as a complement to Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) of nine 30-min sessions delivered in person and continuously by two researchers; VR was used in three of the nine sessions. Each session was divided into motivation, knowledge development, transfer, evaluation, and closure sections. The control group worked only with BBS, a standard methodology designed to reduce workplace accidents and injuries through systematic observation and intervention in worker behavior. A randomized block design (RBD) was used with a sample of 34 workers from high-risk industrial areas, who were matched by their sociodemographic characteristics and randomly assigned to one of the two groups. An attitude scale regarding occupational risk prevention (accidents) and a work-related stress scale were used for the assessment. The results showed a significant improvement in attitudes toward occupational risk prevention ( p < 0.005) and a reduction in work-related stress, although this finding was not statistically significant according to MANOVA and Bonferroni correction. In conclusion, this study shows that mindfulness complements and significantly improves attitudes toward occupational risk prevention.
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 10
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Workplace Mindfulness Training Randomized Controlled Trials Journal of Occupational Health Psychology February 1, 2019
- Application of mindfulness-based stress reduction to a stress management intervention in a study of a mining sector company. International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics : JOSE December 2018
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction training yields improvements in well-being and rates of perceived nursing errors among hospital nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing October 2018
- Meditation experts try Virtual Reality Mindfulness: A pilot study evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of Virtual Reality to facilitate mindfulness practice in people attending a Mindfulness conference. PLoS One November 22, 2017
and 5 more in the library