Mind-body therapies: an intervention to reduce work-related stress in veterinary academia.
Elpida Artemiou, Gregory E Gilbert, Anne Callanan, Silvia Marchi, Don R Bergfelt
The Veterinary record October 3, 2018 DOI: 10.1136/vr.104815 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre/postexperimental design with a non-randomized contemporary control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 46 |
| Population | Faculty and staff working at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Saint Kitts and Nevis (30 intervention participants and 16 controls) |
| Duration | Two-day intervention programme |
| Measures | Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), 16 Personality Factor (16PF) Openness to Change subscale, saliva cortisol concentrations |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Hydrocortisone Pilot projects Program evaluation Schools, veterinary Adult Middle aged Female Mind-body therapies Occupational stress Workplace stress Saliva cortisol Veterinary wellness |
| Key findings | After a two-day mind-body therapy programme, participants' perceived stress decreased from a mean of 20 to 11 and mindfulness scores rose from 54 to 63, with saliva cortisol declining significantly on both programme days. Controls reported lower stress and higher mindfulness than participants at pretest. The authors present these as preliminary results supporting mind-body therapies for psychological and physiological wellbeing in veterinary academia. |
Abstract
Studies investigating perceived stress and mindfulness awareness support mind-body therapy (MBT) effectiveness in reducing stress and anxiety and, thus, has potential to decrease work-related stress. A pre/postexperimental design involved 30 faculty and staff working at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Saint Kitts and Nevis, who experienced a two-day MBT intervention programme. An additional 16 faculty and staff not involved in MBT who went about their daily work schedules served as contemporary controls. Demographics, Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), 16 Personality Factor (16PF) Openness to Change subscale and saliva cortisol concentrations were analysed. Control participants reported significantly perceived less stress (PSS-10: M=13; sd=1.4) than intervention participants (M=20; sd=6.6) during pretest. However, at post-test the intervention group reported a significant decrease in perceived stress (M=11; sd=6.0). MAAS pretest results indicated the intervention group displayed a lower average score (M=54; sd=15.3) than control participants (M=68; sd=2.0). Post-MAAS intervention scores showed improvements in mindfulness (M=63; sd=15.3). Correlations between the 16PF Openness to Change subscale and MAAS were r=0.03 and r=-0.17 for the intervention and control groups, respectively. Mean concentrations of saliva cortisol indicated a larger and significant decline in cortisol for the intervention group both during day 1 (P=0.0001) and day 2 (P=0.0008). In conclusion, these preliminary results provide support that MBTs in veterinary academia can improve psychological and physiological aspects of personal wellbeing.
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 11
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Association of psychological and physiological measures of stress in health‐care professionals during an 8‐week mindfulness meditation program: mindfulness in practice Stress and Health August 23, 2005
- Mindfulness online: a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of a web-based mindfulness course and the impact on stress BMJ Open 2012
- An eight-week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and mindfulness, and changes in cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia. Journal of Pain Research July 26, 2011
and 6 more in the library