Effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision on teacher mental health and school climate: results of the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial.
Willem Kuyken, Susan Ball, Catherine Crane, Poushali Ganguli, Benjamin Jones, Jesus Montero-Marin, Elizabeth Nuthall, Anam Raja, Laura Taylor, Kate Tudor, Russell M Viner, Matthew Allwood, Louise Aukland, Darren Dunning, Tríona Casey, Nicola Dalrymple, Katherine De Wilde, Eleanor-Rose Farley, Jennifer Harper, Verena Hinze, Nils Kappelmann, Maria Kempnich, Liz Lord, Emma Medlicott, Lucy Palmer, Ariane Petit, Alice Philips, Isobel Pryor-Nitsch, Lucy Radley, Anna Sonley, Jem Shackleford, Alice Tickell, Myriad Team, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Obioha C. Ukoumunne, Mark Greenberg, Tamsin Ford, Tim Dalgleish, Sarah Byford, J Mark G Williams
Evidence-Based Mental Health July 12, 2022 DOI: 10.1136/ebmental-2022-300424 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cluster randomised controlled trial Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 679 |
| Population | Teachers in 85 UK schools delivering social and emotional teaching |
| Intervention | School-based mindfulness training (SBMT) |
| Duration | Data collected at prerandomisation, postpersonal mindfulness and SBMT teacher training, after delivering SBMT to students, and at 1-year follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | After teachers delivered school-based mindfulness training to students, small improvements were seen in teacher burnout and school climate compared with teaching as usual. Burnout effects were not significant at one-year follow-up, and only respectful climate was maintained. The authors conclude SBMT has limited effects on teacher mental health and school climate. |
Abstract
Background: Education is broader than academic teaching. It includes teaching students social-emotional skills both directly and indirectly through a positive school climate.
Objective: To evaluate if a universal school-based mindfulness training (SBMT) enhances teacher mental health and school climate.
Methods: The My Resilience in Adolescence parallel group, cluster randomised controlled trial (registration: ISRCTN86619085;
Funding: Wellcome Trust (WT104908/Z/14/Z, WT107496/Z/15/Z)) recruited 85 schools (679 teachers) delivering social and emotional teaching across the UK. Schools (clusters) were randomised 1:1 to either continue this provision (teaching as usual (TAU)) or include universal SBMT. Data on teacher mental health and school climate were collected at prerandomisation, postpersonal mindfulness and SBMT teacher training, after delivering SBMT to students, and at 1-year follow-up. Finding: Schools were recruited in academic years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. Primary analysis (SBMT: 43 schools/362 teachers; TAU: 41 schools/310 teachers) showed that after delivering SBMT to students, SBMT versus TAU enhanced teachers' mental health (burnout) and school climate. Adjusted standardised mean differences (SBMT minus TAU) were: exhaustion (-0.22; 95% CI -0.38 to -0.05); personal accomplishment (-0.21; -0.41, -0.02); school leadership (0.24; 0.04, 0.44); and respectful climate (0.26; 0.06, 0.47). Effects on burnout were not significant at 1-year follow-up. Effects on school climate were maintained only for respectful climate. No SBMT-related serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusions: SBMT supports short-term changes in teacher burnout and school climate. Further work is required to explore how best to sustain improvements. Clinical
Implications: SBMT has limited effects on teachers' mental and school climate. Innovative approaches to support and preserve teachers' mental health and school climate are needed.
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 15
- Temperament and Character Moderate the Effects of Mindfulness Training on Psychological and Professional Well-Being of School Teachers Mindfulness April 23, 2025
- Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Social-Emotional Growth (MSEG) Program in Enhancing Mental Health of Elementary School Students in Korea. Behavioral Sciences March 5, 2025
- Mindfulness in Education: Critical Debates and Pragmatic Considerations March 19, 2024
- Transforming education: A review of the benefits of integrating mindfulness and meditation techniques in schools English Education Journal June 14, 2023
- Mindfulness and Educators’ Mental Health and Well-Being: Outcomes of a Two-Year Study School Mental Health September 17, 2026
and 10 more 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
- Mindfulness Training in UK Secondary Schools: a Multiple Case Study Approach to Identification of Cornerstones of Implementation Mindfulness June 21, 2018
- Universal Mindfulness Training in Schools for Adolescents: a Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Moderators, Mediators, and Implementation Factors Prevention Science August 1, 2022