Compassionate Schools: Feasibility and Effectiveness Study of a Compassionate Mind Training Program to Promote Teachers Wellbeing
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 155
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Changes in positive affect
研究概览
简要总结
Given the growing research on the multidimensional benefits of compassion cultivation, the current study sought to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a Compassionate Mind Training intervention for Teachers (CMT-T) on teachers' psychological distress, wellbeing and compassion to self and others using a randomised controlled and stepped wedge design. The CMT-T specifically aimed at promoting positive affect and satisfaction with professional life and reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout, by increasing the flows of compassion (for self, for others and from others), self-compassion and compassion to others motivations and actions, and by diminishing fears of compassion (for self, for others and from others) and self-criticism. Furthermore, the present study aimed to explore the impact of the CMT-T on heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of vagal regulatory activity and a physiological marker of a person's ability to flexibly respond to environmental challenges and regulate emotional responses. In light of previous research pointing to the role of individual differences in self-criticism on how individuals respond to compassion-based interventions, this study aimed to examine how self-criticism would influence the effects of the CMT-T intervention. Baseline self-criticism was hypothesized to impact the CMT-T effects on the primary and secondary outcome variables. In addition, the current study aimed to examine whether the effects of attending the CMT-T were sustained at 3-month post-intervention. Given that the inter-relationship between the three flows of compassion (i.e., compassion for others, being open to compassion from others, and self-compassion) is a key aspect of the CMT approach, the study sought to explore whether the associations between the flows of compassion would change from before to after the CMT-T, particularly whether these were strengthened after training. Finally, this study aimed to examine the mechanisms of change for the primary outcome variables at post-intervention. It is hypothesized that the changes occurred after the CMT-T intervention were mediated by changes in competencies for compassion for self, for others and from others, decreased levels fears of compassion for self, from others and from others, enhanced affect regulation, diminished self-criticism.
详细描述
The main aim of COMP-S is to test the impact of a compassionate mind training intervention for teachers: CMT-T on indicators of mental, physiological and professional wellbeing.
The major goals of this project are to:
- Test the effects of the CMT-T on psychological primary outcomes (i.e. overall positive affect, symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, burnout and professional wellbeing) and secondary outcomes (i.e. compassion, fears of compassion, self-criticism, affect regulation).
- Test the impact of the CMT-T on autonomic (i.e. heart-rate variability) biomarkers related to positive affect systems linked to affiliation and prosociality;
- Test the mediator effect of changes in the psychological processes targeted by the intervention (i.e. secondary outcomes: compassion, fears of compassion, self-criticism, affect regulation) on the impact of the CMT-T on the primary psychological outcomes, and on the biophysiological markers.
- Investigate the moderator effect of baseline individual differences in self-criticism, depressive symptoms and sociodemographic variables (i.e. age, gender) and occurrence of major life events, on the impact of the CMT-T on the psychological and biophysiological outcomes.
- Assess the moderator effect of practice frequency and helpfulness, and embodiment of compassionate qualities on everyday life, on the impact of the CMT-T on the psychological and biophysiological outcomes.
STUDY DESIGN The study was a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT), with one intervention group (CMT-T) and one waitlist control group (WLC), and a stepped-wedge design where all groups and participants in groups were offered the intervention. Prior to data collection, the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra (CEDI22.03.2018).
Given the stepped wedge design, there were four assessment moments in the study: 1) Time 1 (T1) - baseline/pre-intervention assessment, was completed by the CMT-T group and the WLC group during the week previous to the start of the CMT-T intervention; 2) Time 2 (T2) - post-intervention assessment one was completed by CMT-T group and WLC group during the first-week post-intervention; 3) Time 3 (T3) - post-intervention assessment two, was completed by WLC group participants one week after they had also received the CMT-T intervention; 4) 3-months Follow-up assessment, this was conducted three months after the CMT-T conclusion (for all participants who completed the intervention). In T1, T2, and T3 all participants completed a set of self-report questionnaires. A subsample of participants from both conditions underwent the HRV measurement at T1, T2, and T3. In the 3-month follow-up assessment, only self-report data were collected.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Crossover
- 主要目的
- Supportive Care
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 22 Years 至 65 Years（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •being a teacher in the enrolled schools
- •provide informed consent
排除标准
- •not being a teacher in the enrolled schools
- •not provide informed consent
研究组 & 干预措施
CMT-T
The CMT-T is a Compassionate Mind Training program tailored for teachers, delivered in a group format across eight sessions of approximately 2.5 hours each. In each session, besides presenting relevant theoretical constructs addressed in that session, participants are invited to complete experiential exercises, compassion and mindfulness meditation practices, and work in small groups to share their experiences, followed by a plenary session. There are six different modules addressed during the 8-sessions CMT-T
干预措施: Compassionate Mind Training for Teachers (Behavioral)
Waiting list
Participants in the waiting list control group were not offered an intervention.
结局指标
主要结局
Changes in positive affect
时间窗: up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up)
Assessed by the Types of Positive Affect Scale (TPAS). The TPAS is an 18-item scale that measures the degree to which people experience different positive emotions. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale (ranging from 0 to 4). Higher scores mean higher levels of positive affect.
Changes in satisfaction with teachers' professional life
时间窗: up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up)
Assessed by the Satisfaction with Teachers' Professional Life (SWTPL). The SWTPL is a 5-item scale aimed to assess global satisfaction with teachers' professional life. Each item is rated on a 5 Likert-type scale, ranging from I completely disagree (1) to I completely agree (5). Higher scores reflect higher satisfaction with teachers' life.
Changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress
时间窗: up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up)
Assessed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21(DASS-21). The DASS-21 is a self-report instrument comprising three subscales that address depressive (seven items), anxiety (seven items) and stress symptoms (seven items). Participants are asked to rate the frequency of symptoms during the previous week using a 4-point scale from did not apply to me at all (0) to applied to me very much, or most of the time (3). Higher scores in the each subscale indicate higher levels of depressive, anxiety or stress symptoms.
Changes in burnout
时间窗: up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up)
Assessed by the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM). The SMBM is a 14-items self-report measure addressing work-related burnout using a 7-point scale, ranging from never (1) to always (7). The SMBM comprises three dimensions associated with work: physical exhaustion, cognitive weariness, and emotional exhaustion, with higher scores reflecting greater burnout symptoms.
次要结局
- Changes in the flows of compassion (self-compassion, compassion to others and compassion from others)(up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up))
- Changes in self-compassion and compassion to others motivation and action(up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up))
- Changes in fears of compassion (for self, for others, from others)(up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up))
- Changes in self-criticism(up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up))
- Changes in perceived emotional climate at work(up to 6 months (from baseline to 3-months follow-up))
研究者
Marcela Matos
Principal Investigator
University of Coimbra