A Trauma informed Intervention Using Mindfulness to Improve Early Childhood Classroom Environments.

abstract: Research has shown adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a lifelong negative impact on a person’s physical, mental, and social well-being. ACEs refer to experiences related to abuse, household challenges, or neglect that occur before the age of 18. Some of the effects of ACEs include anxiety, depression, increased stress, increase in high-risk behaviors, and early death. Mindfulness practices have been shown to be an effective tool in reducing some of these symptoms. In looking for ways to prevent or mitigate the effects of ACEs, it is important to provide tools and resources to the adults taking care of children including; parents, guardians, and teachers. The purpose of this evidence based project (EBP) was to evaluate mindfulness and classroom environments after the implementation of a mindfulness intervention. The intervention consisted of a three day training followed by four weeks of mindfulness practice prior to beginning the school day. Ten preschool and Early Head Start teachers from seven classrooms at a school in inner city Phoenix participated in the project. Utilizing the Five Factors Mindfulness Questionnaire pre and post intervention, a paired sample t-test showed a significant increase in two factors of mindfulness. The CLASS tool was used to assess classroom environment pre and post intervention and showed significant improvement in five classes. These findings support ongoing mindfulness training and practice for preschool and Early Head Start teachers to improve classroom environments

An Exploration of the Effects of Mindfulness on Pain: The Role of Pain Catastrophizing

Chronic pain is a complex global public health concern associated with a host of negative outcomes, including loss of productivity, decreased quality of life, and greater likelihood of developing a mental health disorder. Initial evidence indicates that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve pain symptomatology. However, most MBIs are time and resource intensive, and it is unclear how mindfulness may improve the pain experience. The purpose of the present set of studies was to test the effects of a brief, app-based MBI on pain experience, and to examine whether pain catastrophizing was a statistical mediator of any effect. Two studies were conducted using samples of healthy adults recruited through West Virginia University (N = 118) and adults reporting chronic low back pain (N = 78), respectively. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 10-day app-based MBI or an active control condition. Pain- catastrophizing, fear of pain, pain sensitivity, and pain severity (Study 2 only) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. We hypothesized that participants in the mindfulness condition, but not the active control condition, would demonstrate decreased pain experience post-intervention. Further, we expected that the effect of the app-based MBI on pain experience would be statistically accounted for by decreases in pain catastrophizing. Decreases in pain sensitivity (Study 1), fear of pain (Study 1), and pain severity (Study 2) were observed pre- to post- intervention, regardless of condition. There was no evidence of an effect of condition or statistical mediation by pain catastrophizing. Overall, the present findings suggest that a 10-day app-based MBI is not sufficient to elicit changes in pain experience among individuals with or without chronic pain. It remains unknown whether pain catastrophizing statistically mediates the effect of an MBI on pain experience. Future research may assess the use of longer app-based interventions or the inclusion of face-to-face intervention components in order to improve pain outcomes

Mindfulness in Treatment Approaches for Addiction — Underlying Mechanisms and Future Directions

Purpose of Review: While the treatment of addictive disorders proves to be challenging, new treatment approaches that evolved around the concepts of mindfulness and acceptance have been utilized and investigated in recent years. Our goal is to summarize the efficacy and possible underlying mechanisms of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) in addictive disorders. Recent Findings: Various meta-analyses have suggested that MBIs show clinical efficacy in the treatment of addictive disorders. Considering the factors that impact addictive disorders, MBIs have been indicated to augment responsiveness to natural rewards in contrast to addiction-related cues as well as to increase top-down cognitive control, decrease subjective and physiological stress perception, and enhance positive affect. Summary: In summary, MBIs hold promise in treating addictive disorders while larger randomized controlled trials with longitudinal study designs are needed to confirm their utility. Newest clinical endeavors strive to enhance the clinical utility of MBIs by augmentation or personalization

A Systematic Review of Interventions to Reduce Burnout Among Human Service Workers

Background: Burnout among human service professionals is a significant public health problem. While systematic reviews on this topic have been conducted, there remains a need for a critical synthesis of intervention studies to prevent or treat burnout in this population that include recent literature and an evaluation of study quality. Objectives of review: This review aims to answer the following questions: 1) What is the state and quality of evidence that exists regarding burnout interventions for human service workers? 2) What are the best supported interventions to prevent or reduce burnout among human service workers at the individual and organizational levels based on current evidence? 3) What are the gaps in evidence in the existing literature on burnout interventions for human service workers? Data sources: The data sources for this review include publications in PubMed, PsychInfo, and Medline. Eligibility Criteria: Studies were eligible if they were English-language and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Participants: The population of interest were human service workers. For the purposes of this review, nursing personnel, physicians, students and trainees were excluded. Interventions: Studies were included if a primary or secondary outcome of the intervention was to prevent or reduce burnout or a dimension of burnout and if there were quantitative pre and post intervention measures of burnout. Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Study characteristics were synthesized into tables and a narrative format and methodologies were evaluated using the EPHPP Quality Assessment Tool. Results: The final set of publications included 108 interventions at the individual level, 28 at the organizational level, and 6 with components at both levels. Few included publications had moderate or higher risk of bias ratings. Limitations: The primary limitations of this review were that it was carried about by a single person and may have missed potentially relevant studies. Conclusions and implications of key findings: There is a need for further, more robust research on interventions at all three levels. Mindfulness-based interventions show promise at reducing burnout at the individual level, but still need further research on diverse samples and with greater follow-up. Systematic review registration number: The review was not registered

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for University Students: A Feasibility Study

Background: Koru is a 4-week group mindfulness-based intervention that previously demonstrated psychological benefits in university students through its offering via a counseling center (Greeson, Juberg, Mayatan, James, & Rogers, 2014). Aim: This study examined the feasibility of Koru offered universally to students via collaborative outreach (i.e., student interest, attendance, adverse events, participant acceptability, and participant willingness to complete assessments). Method: Across five semesters, Koru was advertised via flyers, emails to student organizations and faculty and staff, and counseling center referrals at a southeastern public university with 29,000-students. Interested students were randomly assigned to Koru or a waitlist. In-person Koru groups took place in classrooms on campus. Assessments included practice logs, program evaluations, and pre- and post-intervention surveys measuring mindfulness and psychological symptoms. Results: Interest was sufficient to offer 2-3 groups per semester (171 students). Of those assigned to Koru, 44.4% completed 3-4 sessions and 34.9% did not attend any sessions. The adverse event rate was 2.9%. Evaluations were positive and all participants attending the last session completed them. The response rate was 29.0% for log completion and 17.9% for survey completion. Conclusion: Results support student interest in, and acceptability of Koru offered to all students on campus outside of a counseling center. Data collection was challenging

Mindfulness for Inpatient Psychiatric Clinical Staff: Designing and Evaluating a Pilot Intervention to Reduce Stress and Burnout

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and compounded a burnout crisis among the healthcare workforce. Healthcare professionals are experiencing workplace stress and professional burnout in substantial numbers, which has resulted in multiple negative consequences including decreased productivity, poor staff retention, and increased organizational costs. While effective multi-pronged approaches to address stress and burnout among healthcare professionals account for the problem at all levels from individual to organizational, a growing evidence base supports the implementation of mindfulness-based interventions as one strategy to reduce stress and burnout and build resiliency. Objectives: The purpose of this DNP project was to design and pilot a quality improvement project of a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress and burnout among inpatient psychiatric clinical staff at a large, urban, academic medical center. This project had four objectives: 1) implement a brief mindfulness-based intervention that fits seamlessly within the current workflow structures in the medical center\u27s inpatient psychiatric units; 2) evaluate the intervention\u27s effectiveness in reducing symptoms of stress and burnout; 3) assess the viability of the intervention’s design and acceptance by clinical staff; and 4) provide recommendations for its sustainability as an ongoing program for the medical center\u27s clinical staff. Methods: This project used a mixed methods design utilizing quantitative and qualitative data to reach its objectives. The mindfulness pilot program involved ten 12-minute audio sessions combining evidence-based didactic material and meditation practice. The sessions were administered free of charge to participants via a smartphone-based meditation app online and completed independently before or during work shifts at times chosen by participants. Pre- and post-intervention surveys utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in addition to several Likert-scale survey questions, open-ended questions, and optional semi-structured interviews with which to collect insights from participants about both the variable being measured (stress and burnout) and the intervention used (mindfulness for healthcare professionals). Discussion: A small sample size limited the ability to determine effectiveness and feasibility. Post-intervention evaluative feedback indicated that participants experienced a reduction in stress but also had difficulty completing all ten sessions. Results and participant feedback both suggested that addressing systemic causes of burnout can improve participation and buy-in for individual-based interventions like the one in this project. Implications for Practice: Results from this project can help determine the extent to which a mindfulness program for clinical staff at a large urban hospital can provide a viable intervention to reduce stress and burnout, improve staff retention rates, and increase workplace satisfaction. Recommendations provided as a result of the project\u27s quantitative and qualitative data analysis offer ways to improve and refine future applications of mindfulness-based programs for healthcare professionals

The utility of home-practice in mindfulness-based group interventions: a systematic review

A growing body of research supports the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). MBIs consider home-practice as essential to increasing the therapeutic effects of the treatment. To date however, the synthesis of the research conducted on the role of home-practice in controlled MBI studies has been a neglected area. This review aimed to conduct a narrative synthesis of published controlled studies, evaluating mindfulness-based group interventions, which have specifically measured home-practice. Empirical research literature published until June 2016 was searched using five databases. The search strategy focused on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and home-practice. Included studies met the following criteria: controlled trials, participants 18 years and above, evaluations of MBSR or MBCT, utilised standardised quantitative outcome measures and monitored home-practice using a self-reported measure. Fourteen studies met the criteria and were included in the review. Across all studies, there was heterogeneity in the guidance and resources provided to participants and the approaches used for monitoring home-practice. In addition, the guidance on the length of home-practice was variable across studies, which indicates that research studies and teachers are not adhering to the published protocols. Finally, only seven studies examined the relationship between home-practice and clinical outcomes, of which four found that home-practice predicted improvements on clinical outcome measures. Future research should adopt a standardised approach for monitoring home-practice across MBIs. Additionally, studies should assess whether the amount of home-practice recommended to participants is in line with MBSR/MBCT manualised protocols. Finally, research should utilise experimental methodologies to explicitly explore the relationship between home-practice and clinical outcomes

An Analysis of the Impact and Efficacy of an Online Mindfulness-based Intervention as a Support for First-year University Students

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules and the provision of necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results demonstrated that participation in the course led to decreased levels of perceived stress for students and increased levels of resilience. Students who took the course reported that it provided emotional support, aided them in finding a healthy work-life balance and that ultimately, they felt the course broadened their perspective and helped them be more aware of positive coping mechanisms