The Potential for Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Workplace Mental Health Promotion: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Shu-Ling Huang, Ren-Hau Li, Feng-Ying Huang, Feng-Cheng Tang
PLoS One September 14, 2015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138089 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 144 |
| Population | Employees with poor mental health |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention; measurements at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, intervention completion, 4 weeks after, and 8 weeks after intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Mental fatigue Stress, psychological Mental health Adult Workplace Female |
| Registration | NCT02241070 |
| Key findings | At the completion of an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention, employees with poor mental health showed significantly lower psychological distress, prolonged fatigue, and perceived stress than controls, with the effects persisting after demographic adjustment, and steeper declines in fatigue and perceived stress over time. The authors report insufficient evidence that the intervention mitigated job strain. |
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to intensively evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on mental illness risks (including psychological distress, prolonged fatigue, and perceived stress) and job strain (job control and job demands) for employees with poor mental health.
Methods: A longitudinal research design was adopted. In total, 144 participants were randomized to the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group participated in MBI for eight weeks. Measurements were collected for both groups at five time points: at pre-intervention (T1), at mid-intervention (T2), at the completion of intervention (T3), four weeks after intervention (T4), and eight weeks after intervention (T5). Data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. A linear mixed model with two levels was employed to analyze the repeated measurement data.
Results: Compared with the control group, the intercepts (means at T3) for the intervention group were significantly lower on psychological distress, prolonged fatigue, and perceived stress when MBI was completed. Even with the demographic variables controlled, the positive effects remained. For growth rates of prolonged fatigue and perceived stress, participants in the intervention group showed a steeper decrease than did the participants in the control group. Regarding job strain, although the intercept (mean at T3) of job demands showed a significant decline when BMI was completed, the significance disappeared when the demographic variables were controlled. Moreover, the other results for job control and job demands did not show promising findings.
Conclusion: As a workplace health promotion program, the MBI seems to have potential in improving mental illness risks for employees with poor mental health. However, there was insufficient evidence to support its effect on mitigating job strain. Further research on maintaining the positive effects on mental health for the long term and on developing innovative MBI to suit job strain are recommended.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02241070.
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 21
- The impact of mindfulness on well-being and performance in the workplace: an inclusive systematic review of the empirical literature European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology April 19, 2017
- Individual participant data systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials assessing adult mindfulness-based programmes for mental health promotion in non-clinical settings. Nature Mental Health July 10, 2023
- Prevalence of Mindfulness Practices in the US Workforce: National Health Interview Survey Preventing Chronic Disease December 30, 2016
- Mindfulness-Based and Mindfulness-Informed Interventions at the Workplace: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of RCTs. Mindfulness May 11, 2023
- Economic Evaluation Alongside a Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Healthy Adults Psychology Research and Behavior Management July 1, 2023
and 16 more in the library
Cites 12
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Holistic Nursing Practice November 1, 2004
- Effects of Low-Dose Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR-ld) on Working Adults Health Education & Behavior May 9, 2008
- The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout, Part II Holistic Nursing Practice 2005
- The Impact of an Innovative Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on the Health and Well-Being of Nurses Employed in a Corporate Setting Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health April 1, 2013
and 7 more in the library