Mindful leadership training for public administration executive staff: a non-randomized controlled trial.
Susana Iris Rueda-Sánchez, Mayte Navarro‐gil, Alejandra Aguilar-Latorre, Alberto Barceló-soler, Javier García-campayo
BMC Psychology April 11, 2026 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-04493-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 65 |
| Population | Executive staff in a public administration setting |
| Interventions | Mindful leadership training Management skills training |
| Duration | Assessments at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and six-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Adult Middle aged Female Work engagement Psychological well-being Transformational leadership Non-randomized controlled trial Mindful leadership |
| Registration | NCT07132931 |
| Key findings | Group-by-time interactions were not statistically significant across all outcomes. Descriptively, the mindful leadership group showed time-related improvements in work engagement, transformational leadership, and mental well-being, whereas the management skills group showed lower scores at follow-up for these outcomes. The authors conclude that mindful leadership training may be feasible and potentially beneficial, but further randomized and adequately powered trials are needed. |
Abstract
Background: Rapid societal and organizational changes pose challenges for public administrations, where leadership style influences employee functioning and organizational effectiveness. Mindful leadership integrates mindfulness-based self-regulation (present-moment awareness, attentional control, and non-reactivity) with leadership behaviors to support ethical, relational, and effective decision-making.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a mindful leadership training program compared with an active control condition (management skills training) among executive staff in a public administration setting.
Methods: We conducted a parallel non-randomized controlled trial in a public administration context. Executive staff were recruited via organizational invitation and snowball procedures and assigned to mindful leadership training (n = 41) or management skills training (n = 24). Leadership, work engagement, mindfulness-related skills, and well-being outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at six-month follow-up. Group-by-time effects were tested using repeated-measures models (including the group × time interaction) and results are reported with corresponding effect estimates.
Results: Group × time interactions were not statistically significant across outcomes. Descriptively, the mindful leadership group showed time-related improvements in work engagement, transformational leadership, and mental well-being indicators, whereas the management skills group showed lower scores at follow-up for these outcomes. Other measures showed no clear change over time.
Conclusions: Mindful leadership training may be a feasible and potentially beneficial approach for supporting leadership-related and well-being outcomes among public administration executive staff. Given the non-randomized design and unequal group sizes, further randomized and adequately powered trials are needed.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07132931 (released 12 August 2025).
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
Cites 6
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Mindfulness-Based and Mindfulness-Informed Interventions at the Workplace: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of RCTs. Mindfulness May 11, 2023
- Mindfulness-Based Programmes for Work Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Stress and Health December 1, 2025
- The mindful leader: a review of leadership qualities derived from mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Psychology March 5, 2024
- Examining the Factor Structure of the 39-Item and 15-Item Versions of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Before and After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for People With Recurrent Depression Psychological Assessment April 14, 2016
and 1 more in the library