NCT05056428

Effects of Mindfulness Training on Emotional Care Strategies

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 328 (actual)
• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Teachers in Hong Kong are susceptible to professional stress and its associated psychosomatic illnesses. To enhance teachers' well-being, mindfulness training is conducted in local schools. The present study is a randomized controlled trial to investigate 1) the effects of mindfulness training on teachers' well-being (i.e. general health, positive affect, stress, negative affect); 2) whether decentering strategy (vs. cognitive reappraisal strategy) is nurtured by mindfulness practice; and 3) whether decentering instead of cognitive reappraisal is the mediator that explains the impact of mindfulness on well-being. Participants will be randomized to either intervention (8-week .b Foundations course) or waiting-list control condition.

Detailed description

All the participants will complete an online survey before (baseline), after (post-intervention), and two-months (follow-up) after the intervention. A subset of participants (N = 30) will complete an electroencephalography (EEG) experiment. Prior to the experiment, participants will complete an online questionnaire writing down eight recent autobiographical situations: four reflecting a neutral experience, two reflecting events that triggered anxiety, and two reflecting events that triggered sadness. After writing about each situation, participants will be asked to identify five keywords that are both unique and tightly linked to each situation. During the experiment, participants will be reminded of the autobiographical situations in the computerized task. Participants will be asked to view the keywords (i.e. control condition); step back and view the keywords like an impartial observer, allowing whatever thoughts or emotions arise to come and go (i.e. decentering condition); and think about the keywords from different perspective to minimize negative emotions (i.e. reappraisal condition). EEG will be recorded while participants complete the task. Participants will receive $200 Hong Kong dollars each time as a remuneration for the time to participate in the experiment.

Conditions

• Mental Health Issue

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	8-week mindfulness program	The .b Foundations course is an 8-week mindfulness program developed by Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) for school teachers and personnel. It includes a taster session and 8 weekly sessions. Each session lasts for 1.5 hours with a specific theme (e.g. Lesson 1 waking up from autopilot). Formal and informal mindfulness practices (e.g. mindful eating, body scan, mindful walking, habit releaser etc.), psychoeducation, cognitive exercises, inquiry, and home practice are involved.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-09-25
• Primary completion: 2022-03-31
• Completion: 2022-03-31
• First posted: 2021-09-24
• Last updated: 2022-05-18

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong